


Voulez-vous?

by bansheehime



Series: Voulez-vous? [2]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate History, F/M, Français | French, Japanese, Multi, Prostitution, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:57:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bansheehime/pseuds/bansheehime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Stop looking at me like that!" He finally burst.<br/>"Like what?" The girl gave him a weird look and the samurai attempted to glare her to her grave.<br/>Kanda gets into a little mishap and gets indebted to a Madam, only to discover a new exorcist and learn that his tolerance level can go through the roof.     KandaxOC</p><p>Rating will probably go up<br/>Irregular updates<br/>I'm just testing out an idea</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Kanda gets stranded…

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: In which Kanda gets stranded…**

He stomped down the cobblestone street angrily. Of course the stupid Supervisor had gotten him stranded while waiting for orders. He had been in France for a while. A small town was supposedly being attacked by Akuma and none of the already sent Finders were responding, so he was sent to investigate further. It turned out to be a dead-end though. Another one of letters-misplaced-on-Komui's-desk. There were no Akuma, just a band of thieves pillaging. Kanda had taken care of them fairly quickly and that is why he was now, stranded, walking down the icy streets of Paris with no bed to sleep in tonight. Stupid Supervisor. Stupid winter and irregular train departures.

He adjusted his sword and wrapped his coat tighter around his slim form. Freezing. In his mind a plan to get back at his Supervisor was already forming. It consisted of Mugen, pain, maybe threats, lots of acting on those threats and some more Mugen and pain. In his defense, it was still a work in progress. Yes, still in progress.

His boots slipped on the ice-covered cobble-stone for the thousandth time that day. He really needed to get a place to stay for the night. He tried to wriggle his fingers. They were frozen and numb. Great. Just fascinating. At this point, anywhere would do.

The sound of a door opening and closing caught his attention. Laughter followed. He looked for the source of the sound. A man had exited from a well-lit place and into the street. A woman was on his arm. From the way they were dressed, Kanda guessed they were a well-off gentleman and his company for the night. Whores. Great. It's not that Kanda had anything against them. It wasn't like that. He was mostly indifferent towards the job of a working girl. He just considered them to have no pride. They sell their body for money, while they have two perfectly good hands and legs. Pity. Yes, Kanda pitied whores more than hated them. Not that he would ever openly admit to that.

This part of the city was full of them, too. However, it was also the cheapest part of the town. And God knows Kanda needed his money so he wouldn't be stranded even longer, waiting for extra funds. He could always threaten someone for money. A dark grin crossed his face, and vanished soon as he thought about Komui's reaction to his would-be behavior. No, he didn't want a repeat of that nightmare. Once had been quite enough.

The door the pair had exited from still shined some light on the dark street. Kanda looked up searching for the sign. On a rusty pole, swinging in the wind, there was a sign. And it was in French. Great. He managed to decipher 'lit'. That should mean bed? He really hoped that meant bed. He sighed, his breath creating a white puff in the freezing air. He regretted leaving the multilingual Finder behind now.

Bravely, Kanda pushed the door open and entered. His surroundings changed in an instant. Warm, bright, yellow light enveloped him like a blanket. His ears were filled with music from the band in the corner. Laughter and smoke were together in the air. He barely heard the bell on top of the door jingle as he closed it behind him. In a split second a face appeared in his mind. A man with a silly hat on his head and a huge grin on his face. He still remembered Daisya, that tormenting brat, whenever he heard a bell jingle like his Charity Bell. Tch. He was probably screwing up a mission somewhere.

Kanda was pulled back to Earth when a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned to the woman speaking huskily and rapidly in French. He didn't catch a word except 'cher'. Wait, didn't that mean expensive? So, he answered with the best retort he had.

"What?" Kanda's deep voice cut the woman's speech off.

"Aaaaah! I see! I foreigner! Velcome to 'Les belles nuits'! 'ov may I be 'ov service?" Her accent was thick, he noticed, but not entirely unpleasant. She rolled her 'r's heavily.

"I need food and lodging for the night. Does this place have any rooms still vacant?" Kanda noted that he was being very polite. It was either his current state of frozenness or the aura that the short woman gave off. She barely came up to his chest, yet he could feel that she was a strong person. The way she held herself was very bold, defiant. Her red locks were partially up in a loose bun, but most of them fell onto her bare shoulders. The blue dress she wore was plain, yet, dare he say beautiful, on her. Accenting all the right places. All in all, she was a confident, strong and, from what he had seen, hospitable proper lady. Well, the bare shoulders weren't that proper, but this was Paris, so he let it slide.

A smile broke on the woman's red lips. It was the kind of smile that made him uncomfortable. It was one of those closed-lips-eyes-twinkling smiles. The kind that girls sent men when they had less than honorable intentions.

"Oh, cher, ve 'av beds, oui, oui! But zey might be a bit different from vat vous voulez." She winked at him. And then, her manicured hand grabbed his, and she was pulling him to the bar. The redhead called something out to the bartender and he smirked one of those all-knowing smirks and gave them both drinks.

Kanda looked at his glass in suspicion. It was most definitely alcohol. And he was probably going to regret it later. But it will help him get warm faster. His still frozen fingers grasped the glass and he bravely downed the amber liquid. It burned its way down his throat. But, it was worth it. He could already feel the warmth spreading through his chest.

A voice registered in his mind and he realized that the woman beside him was talking. He produced a 'tch' sound when she paused, and she happily chattered on.

There was darkness all around him, enveloping him like a warm blanket. Then he realized that he actually was cocooned in a blanket. He could feel the cheap fabric scratching his chest as he breathed. Chest?! Where was his shirt?! Kanda moved his legs a bit, only to realize that he was completely naked. A rush of panic went through him. He could feel that tightening feeling in his stomach, the same one he got right before a fight. It was that feeling that you get when swimming. The one you get when you try to stand on the bottom only to have your feet touch nothing, because the water is too deep. It grew fast in his stomach. Just how much had he drunk last night?

Soft feminine giggling brought him out of his train of thought. He heard a number of 'shhhh's and then he heard fast, hushed conversation in French. His first instinct was to grab Mugen and start slicing, but he suppressed it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Kanda had already met Lenalee.

He slowly cracked one eye open, taking in his surroundings like a trained warrior that he was. A cheap bedroom, with old paint that was peeling slowly off. Kanda could smell different perfumes and a faint smell of cigarettes and wine. Then he saw all of them.

There were women, perhaps twenty or more, sitting in a semi-circle around him. He noted their state of semi-undress with horror. Just how much had he drunk?!

The brunette on his left (the one whose red dress barely covered her humongous chest) glanced at his face while giggling at something her friend said. "Vous lui êtes réveillées!" she told her friends, mock scolding, "Good morning!" She rolled her 'r's at him gently. Kanda blinked. More like gawked stupidly at her, not that he would ever admit that.

"Tch." he answered in a well-practiced monotone, his voice a bit husky from sleep. The women around him cooed in happiness. They quickly reassumed their conversation in French. Kanda sat up, causing the girls closest to him to move a bit, all still chattering away and looking at him. He would bet that this was that Stupid Rabbit's ultimate dream. The women kept openly staring or glancing not so subtly at him giggling. He could see the Rabbit's face, full picture with the 'strike' pose and a bleeding nose.

"Where are my clothes?" Was the first thing he growled through his teeth. This, of course, caused a round of gleeful giggling. The brunette that had spoken English to him answered.

"Madam took zem. She vashed zem for you. 'ov are you feeling? Bezer zen yezterday I 'ope?"

"When can I get my clothes back?" He retorted, ignoring her question. This caused another round of giggling and some head shaking, too. He was irritated by the whole situation. His head was slowly starting to pound. Just fascinating.

The door to his left opened and the woman from last night came into the room. She had changed into a more appropriate dress, Kanda noted. She put a small bundle on his bed and started ushering the girls from the room. They looked, and sounded quite disappointed with that. The brunette that had spoken to him waved on her way out. One blonde in a very, very short pink dress blew a kiss at him from the doorway. Kanda was somewhere between utter annoyance, rage, amusement, embarrassment and smugness.

The redhead from last night sat at the corner of his bed. She looked at him expectantly.

"Hn."

"I said 'ov are you feeling, cher?"

"Hn."

"I vashed your clothes for you, cher." She gestured to the bundle on the bed. He grabbed for it.

"Where am I?" Kanda questioned as he slipped his shirt quickly. The redhead turned around to give him some privacy.

"You are in my bedroom, cher. In 'Les belles nuits'." She said to him gently, careful not to make his hangover even worse. "You drank a lot hier. Fell asleep as soon as you got varmed up. Ve carried you up 'ere and made sure you vere comfortable." He could hear that she was smiling as she talked to him. Kanda slipped his pants, socks and boots on with practiced ease. He had done this a number of times in worse situations, after all. The woman turned, as if sensing that he was dressed. He didn't like the way her eyes scanned him over. They were too knowing. Too invading. Kanda glared, but the feeling of being naked never left him. The murderous look didn't deter the woman.

"Where is my sword?" Kanda asked, not too politely. His voice was a low growl. He hated mornings. He was hungry. And, his head was pounding by now. Pounding like hell. He didn't remember hitting his head. Was this that hangover thing that the Stupid Rabbit always complained about? He didn't know, and didn't care. He wanted his sword. Now.

The woman laughed and gave him a tiny nod. She walked to the small make-up desk and picked something up from there. It was his sword. He would know Mugen anywhere. It was safe. Kanda crossed the room in seconds, his grace a different kind from the woman's. She had certain poise, a trained, nurtured movement of lady. One that you saw at a fancy dinner or a ball. Kanda, he was a swordsman through and through. His steps were light, soundless compared to her heeled shoes, and he held himself tense, senses constantly open to attack. He was an Exorcist. He expected to be attacked. He suspected everyone of being an Akuma.

When the redhead turned around, she saw Kanda's close proximity. He looked menacing, reaching for his weapon carefully. She didn't object to him taking it. Clear. If she were an Akuma, she would've taken the innocence when she had had the chance.

"Doez zat prove zat I am not a demon?" There was that coy smile on her face. She was reading him. Completely. Kanda scowled down at the woman. She knew about the Akuma? Surprise must've passed his face, as the woman moved around him, heading for the cheap bed. She sat down gracefully, perfect pose. "Yes. I knov about L'Eglise. You are very busy viz zem demons." Kanda didn't respond. He didn't move. Where was this going?

He understood that he was in this woman's debt. She had gotten him off the cold street and into a warm bed. She had given him drinks and then allowed him a full night's sleep. Safe from Akuma. That was rare. And probably expensive. Dark thoughts were swirling through Kanda's head, most of them featuring Komui in painful situations. He wouldn't be in this mess if the Supervisor hadn't had screwed up. Kanda's temper was about to snap. And, the samurai had never had much self-control concerning his anger.

"I require no material payment for zis 'elp zat I 'ave provided you." The redhead surprised Kanda with her words. He gave her a small, curt nod, signalizing that he was listening. "Ve 'ave 'ad pleasant dealings with a Monsieur named Cross from your L'Eglise." Recognition flashed across Kanda's face. General Cross had been here? The most elusive General? Why? Then again, Kanda had heard about the strange man's reputation with women and booze. Then, it made sense. The woman spoke again, her 'r's rolling. "I vill get somebody to escort you to the train station." Kanda stood still. He was waiting for the punch line. There was always a punch line in situations like these. He knew by now, that nothing came served on a silver platter. Kanda frowned. It's not like this situation was his fault. She had given him the alcohol. She had brought him to this room. She had washed his clothes. If he had had it his way, he would've simply paid for his room and been on his way today.

The redhead must've noticed the expressions passing on his face, because she spoke once again. "Nov, breakfast?" There was no punch line. The woman stood and headed out. Kanda took a second to follow her. He secured Mugen to his back as he walked. He wouldn't be letting go of the sword anytime soon. They headed down the hallway. The walls were the same, pale beige color, the paint peeling off. There were many doors, most of them closed. He noticed one open, and decided to peek in. For safety, he reasoned. The room was plain, just like the one that he had been in. There were dresses on the bed, messily thrown. Kanda's wondering eyes caught a glimpse of flesh and he quickly averted his gaze. Slowing down, he threw one more look back, for good measure. The naked woman blew him a kiss. He felt his neck and ears burn with embarrassment. Naked women. Booze. Bedrooms. Realization dawned on him and Kanda froze in his steps. He was in a brothel!

His head felt like a thousand bricks with a drum on top. It all suddenly made sense. The women. All the women in tight corsets and tiny dresses. All the bare shoulders that were flashing left and right. The shameless flirting. Oh God. Kanda wasn't sure what to do. He was in between wanting to run like hell and wanting to take out Mugen and start hacking and slashing. Well, Komui was one of the first people on his list. If he hadn't had left the samurai stranded with little to no money, Kanda wouldn't have gone to the cheaper districts. No, he would've gotten on the train, and been safe on his way home. Not in a brothel. Fuck winter and irregular train scedules, the samurai thought.

"Are you coming?" The redhead's voice came from the front and Kanda's head snapped up, a glare slipping onto his face. The woman didn't even react to it. She still had that knowing, coy smile on her face. That is one of the reasons why Kanda didn't like prostitutes. They knew how to read people. He was indifferent to their profession, but not to their ways. They always seemed to see through you, no matter how much you tried to put on a front. Gritting his teeth, Kanda decided to follow. There was no use now. He would take all that he could get.

The redhead led him down the stairs and into a bar of sorts. He remembered it from last night. It was quieter now, vacant of customers. The band wasn't playing, the stage was empty. There were a couple of girls gathered around the counter, giggling and talking in rapid French. Kanda ignored them. When the duo entered, the women quieted for a second, but then their conversation picked up again. The redhead led Kanda to a table and made him sit. He obliged. The couch was comfortable, even though it smelled of cigar smoke.

The redhead went to the girls a the counter and said something in French. Usually, he didnt have issues with languages. He eiher knew them, or he had a Finder to translate. This time, he had ditched his escort somewhere on the way. They were all replacable, after all. A plate full of delicious looking food was placed on the small table in front of Kanda. The blonde gave him a smile and said something in French. He dug through his head for an appropriate response.

"Merci." He managed to push through. He had heard the Finders say the phrase enough times. Besides, if he was too rude, they might make him pay, and God knows that he couldn't. The girl almost jumped from joy, and the samurai heard her squeal in happiness as soon as she left his sight. Obviously, he was a local attraction of sorts.

"Zey like you." The redhead from before lowered herself on the other side of the table, watching Kanda eat. He had figured that she was the Madam of the brothel. Staying on her good side would be the key. She was watching him. Giving him that look. The one that he didn't particularly like. She was analyzing everything that he did. Kanda didn't like it. He was usually the one that analyzed. He was usually the one that suspected everyone of being an Akuma. He was usually the one that had to read people to survive.

The food was good, even though it wasn't soba. Kanda swallowed it quickly and pushed the plate away. A different giggling girl came to take it away. The brunette also placed a glass of something on the table. Kanda didn't go near it at first. He changed his mind after a while of sitting under the Madam's gaze. It was as if she was waiting for him to do something. Say something. He drank from the glass and realized that it was milk. He almost choked, but he drank. He hadn't expected milk. The Madam's smile grew.

"What?" Kanda barked, his voice snappy. He lowered the glass, the glare ever present on his face.

"You ove me now, cher." Kanda scoffed. A door creaked somewhere behind him and the samurai felt a gust of cold air on his back. It reminded him of the snow and ice outside and his permanent scowl deepened. A bell jingled as the door closed and another female voice joined in with the girls at the counter. Suddenly, they seemed much louder than before. Maybe they actually were louder with the newcomer.

"I don't owe you anything." The exorcist brushed the Madam's words off. He did owe her. He knew that he did. However, Kanda believed in returning a debt. If the Madam asked him to return it, he would. The redhead laughed.

"Don't vorry, cher." She told him. "I von't ask for much." The samurai didn't react, so she continued. "Not many care for my girls. Zey get killed and forgotten. But, zey are someone's children, too. Zose demons of your L'Eglise have been prowling around, murdering, and ze auzorities von't call you on a vord of an escort." After a small pause, she spoke again. "I vill call ven zey appear again and you vill kill zem. Just like Monsieur Cross did."

Kanda sat still when she finished. She wanted him to kill Akuma? When she called? Well, it could've been worse. But, he wasn't some dog on a leash.

"I refuse." The samurai barked and stood. The Madam remained seated, a coy smile ever present on her bright red painted lips. She had read right through his front. She knew that he was a man who returned his debts.

"Sasha!" She called out to the girls. When Kanda turned, he saw one of them stop laughing and split away. She was dressed much less revealing than the rest of them. This must've been the newcomer. Kanda noticed her nose, red from cold, and the small amount of snow on the shoulders of her royal green colored coat. Kanda scanned her over with his eyes. She wasn't anything special. The girl looked around his age, with blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Her corset was tight, pushing her breasts up like the rest of the girls, however, it was less revealing. Her skirt was also in a green color, matching her coat, and it was longer, barely at the edge of modesty. If he didn't know what she was, the thought wouldn't have crossed his mind. The Madam spoke a few quick sentences to her in French and the girl nodded.

"Train station it is, then." She had an accent, but not like the rest of them. She wasn't French, Kanda could tell. The girl walked back towards the counter and grabbed a white scarf. She wrapped it around her neck in one smooth motion, showing off the green and gold embroidery. It showed carriages and galloping horses. Handmade, the samurai could tell. He had seen women do things like that during his travels. Not that it was of any interest to him, but he found it peculiar that a prostitute could sew that well. "Are you coming?" The girl asked. She stood by the door, waiting. Kanda walked forward. He changed his mind and turned a bit to look at the Madam.

"Hn." He said and her smile grew.

"À bientôt, cher!" Her voice was in his ears for a while. The girl in green didn't open the door, she merely watched him. When he stood there, still, she scoffed. Kanda raised one eyebrow at the sound. She wasn't a lady, that was for sure, embroidery or not. The girl, Sasha, as the Madam had called her, opened the door with quite a bit of force. She didn't wait for him, but she walked into the frozen street with confidence, her heels clicking with each step. The samurai followed, a scowl on his face. He heard the door slam behind him, but didn't turn.

It was fairly late in the morning, but the quarter was empty. Maybe it was because of the icy weather, or because of the nature of the businesses here. However, it was like a ghost town. He could distinctly hear a couple of windows or doors opening, people going to the market, and even some moaning from a very late customer. The loudest sounds in the street were the girl's heels though. She was walking a bit in front of him, arms wrapped around her tightly. Suddenly, he was happy that the Order made high quality coats. His was nice and warm, even though his hands were slowly going numb with the biting cold.

"Where are you from?" The girl asked, falling in step with him suddenly. He didn't look at her, much less answer. "Do you only speak Chinese or something?" She asked next, her teeth chattering a bit. Kanda grit his teeth. A rude prostitute. Well, that was a first. "Maybe you're just shy." Her voice had taken on a teasing edge now. "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" She teased, obviously noticing the bright blush that had spread across the expanse of Kanda's neck and ears. He turned to her suddenly, the force of his glare a bit surprising.

"Shut up or I'll kill you."

Apparently, the threat worked, as the girl went quiet once again. Now that he thought about it, Kanda probably wouldn't have killed her. She had been annoying and invasive, but she was honest. The girl hadn't deceived him, not even once. Neither had the Madam. Kanda wasn't a very nice person, but he knew how to appreciate things. And one thing he did appreciate was honesty. It made life so much simpler. He did detest most honest people, though. They tended to be weak.

"This way." The girl grabbed his elbow, her hand looping around the joint and staying there. She pulled him towards the alley, never letting go. Kanda gave a glare, but didn't object. She must've seen it, because she clarified. "A shortcut." And with that, there was silence again. They walked along the alley, her heels clicking against the frozen cobblestones. Kanda's footsteps were silent, almost not there. They passed a couple of drunks exiting a bar. The group of men chuckled and whistled after the girl, but she pressed further into Kanda's side. He felt her breast against his arm and stiffened. She threw him an apologetic look, but didn't move away. The samurai hoped that the train station was near. He promised himself that the next time he was in Paris, he would make sure to keep his Finder with him.

Kanda let out a sigh of relief as soon as he saw he big sign of the train station. They entered and the girl led him to the ticket window. She quickly spoke a few sentences in French and the man behind the glass gave her a ticket. She took it and looked at Kanda expectantly. Scowling, the man dug through his pockets and handed her the money. She gave it to the waiting man and led the Exorcist away. Kanda followed, glad that she had let go of his arm.

"This is the train that will take you to L'Eglise." She spoke, leading him further down the platform. Kanda wondered for a moment how she knew where to send him, but he dismissed it. General Cross was well known to use brothels for information gathering. For a while, they stood on the empty platform, waiting in silence. Kanda looked over the girl a couple more times, but she seemed deep in thought, looking at the tracks. He knew that face. That wishful gaze. He had seen that same look in the mirror. She wanted to leave. However, it wasn't Kanda's problem. It wasn't his life. She would have to grit her teeth and make up her mind on her own. Kanda didn't have a lot of contact with prostitutes. But, it was a strange look to see on one's face. A self-conscious, trapped look, on a prostitute's face. What a joke.

Then, a loud boom sounded somewhere to their left and the floor shook. In a second, Kanda grabbed his sword and ran towards the sound. He knew it a bit too well. Akuma were there.

"Wait!" The girl yelled, and Kanda realized, with annoyance, that she was following him. He was a bit impressed at how fast she could run in those heels. "Wait! Exorcist!" She didn't even know his name. Kanda felt his blood boil as soon as he saw the dark, round shape in the air. Akuma. He unsheathed Mugen and leapt into action, an indifferent look on his face. No matter how bored he seemed, the samurai was excited. He liked fighting. He liked the thrill, the danger.

Mugen sang through the air as Kanda swung down at the soon to be dead Akuma.

**That's all folks! Tell me what you think :D**


	2. In which Kanda gets a letter…

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: In which Kanda gets a letter…**

The last Akuma exploded and Kanda landed on his feet. With a swift move, he slashed through the air with his sword, mostly out of habit. He sheathed it next and straightened out his coat. His eyes darted around, by instinct, looking for any leftover Akuma and surveying the damage. Well, the tracks were intact, he could go home. However, that was about all that was untouched. With a satisfied smirk, Kanda headed back to the platform. He passed the collapsed working girl in the corner on his way, completely ignoring her. She didn't look too good. A bit green, too. Then again, she had chosen to follow him. He wasn't responsible for her or anything. He briefly wondered if her face would match her coat soon. His smirk widened.

What interested him more was the reason why the Akuma were here. Why were they swarming the Red Light district? The Madam had mentioned their recent activity, but she hadn't told him that they were a problem at the moment. Kanda was a tad confused. Usually, Akuma were there because of an Innocence. Accommodator or not, an Innocence was like a magnet to them. Oh well, maybe there was a Broker nearby. Or it had been a stray bunch. Kanda made a mental note to look up the abnormal behavior of the demons as soon as he went back to the Order. Then again, was there ever really a pattern with Level ones? Not really. They were dumb creatures, the samurai concluded.

"Exorcist!" The girl had apparently regained feeling in her legs. Her voice was trembling and a tad broken, but she sounded determined. Kanda didn't turn around though. He heard her heels clicking after him, following. The samurai found a nice pillar, intact and clean and leaned against it, waiting for the train. "Don't you Chinese people have any manners?"

The girl had caught up, panting a bit. There was dust on her royal green coat, but otherwise, she seemed a little spooked, but fine. She had wrapped her arms around her in a defensive position, looking at the samurai for answers.

"Tch." He didn't give any. Rude woman. Why was she still here? Didn't she have a job to do or something? Men to find and rob? Kanda frowned and then glared. He wanted out. Away from her. He hoped that the train would come soon. She was still looking at him. She had that gaze, similar to the Madam's. The one under which he felt naked. For some reason, just looking at her face pissed him off. Then again, a lot of things pissed Kanda off.

The girl smiled suddenly. It was that coy smile. The less-than-honorable-intentions smile. Kanda did not like that smile. He didn't like that smile at all. And then, she was right next to him suddenly, touching him. Kanda did not like to be touched.

"You were pretty cool back there. All warrior mode and everything." Kanda pushed her away, none too gently either. The working girl wouldn't be deterred. Instead of touching his shoulder, she looped her arms through his now, even though his arms were crossed. Kanda gave her a glare that promised pain. He realized with disdain that she was warm and that he liked the warmth. "Maybe you can teach me some moves sometime?" The girl was persistent. And ridiculous.

"You couldn't possibly fight Akuma." He spoke finally. The samurai reveled in the surprise on her face when he actually produced a full sentence. "Even if I did teach you, and I assure you, I won't do such a thing." With that, he concluded their conversation.

The girl scoffed. Kanda raised an eyebrow. She was definitely not the kind of woman that he would peg for a working girl. Self-conscious, opinioned, un-lady like and fully clothed. No. She clashed with Kanda's image of a prostitute. Then again, he didn't really know any prostitutes. He tried to avoid them. Tried to avoid the invasive, knowing eyes that they often had. His mental image of a prostitute was mostly based on the Stupid Rabbit's ranting. And, Kanda had heard enough to paint a very colorful picture.

"Are you even listening to me?" The girl gained his full attention when she pressed into his side. He couldn't help it. His eyes went down to her breasts that were pressed against the dark material of his coat. He attempted to dismiss those thoughts. Self-control, Kanda tried to convince himself. He needed to straighten his self-control.

"Tch." The samurai grunted. He wondered if she would stop talking. "I'm not and I don't intend to. Go home." He ordered through his teeth, rage slowly burning to the surface. For some reason, every time he looked at her face, her baby blue eyes, he got even more pissed. They were so honest, pure, yet they were staring at him. Making him feel exposed. Her face pissed him off.

A frown marred the girl's youthful features. "Is it all Chinese people, or are you the only prick?" She offended again. With a shrug, the girl seemed to give up. "At least I tried."

Kanda scoffed this time. "How do you get any customers with that mouth?" He fired right back, his temper finally getting the better of him. The Akuma hadn't been enough for him to let off steam. Everything caught up to him. The Supervisor, the winter, the language barrier, the brothel, the debt and most importantly, the girl's annoying face. Kanda gave a small smirk of satisfaction.

"Simply, I'm that good." The girl answered. "Not like it's any of your business anyway." Kanda opened his mouth to retort when a deafening train whistle tore through the air. The samurai was a bit pissed at the arrival. The train had gotten there just in time to take away his rebuttal. With a permanent scowl, he headed to the opening doors. The Exorcist turned back, deciding to take one last shot at the girl.

"I'm not Chinese, whore." He bit at her. However, she didn't react to his anger with anger. She flinched a bit at his cruel words, but gave a tiny smile.

"I know, Mr. Samurai." Kanda's eyes winded when she raised her gloved hand in a small wave. "Feel a bit better after letting it all out?" The doors closed before Kanda could reply. He stared at the waving girl for a moment, stunned. She had read him. She had completely read him and accepted all of his anger. Sighing, Kanda gave in and answered the girl with a tiny nod just as the train was leaving.

As the conductor checked his ticket, the only thing Kanda could see was that happy expression on the girl's face.

* * *

It took about two months for the Madam to contact him. Kanda had been on a couple of more missions (Komui believed that the samurai was an Akuma killing machine and flung him all around the map constantly). Honestly, the swordsman had been lulled into a sense of security. He had made good on his mental note, though. As soon as he was back at the Order, he had gone to see the public reports and he had gathered all of those on Paris, specifically the Red Light district. Truly, there had been a slight increase in the activity of Akuma there. Not too much (a large city like Paris had enough deaths that attracted the Earl like honey attracted bears), but just enough not to be noticed. Kanda was observant though. He was suspicious of everyone and everything. He had learned in his years as an Exorcist that trust was a myth and that almost everyone had a knife behind their back, waiting for an opportunity to stab it into yours. Kanda had impressive regenerative abilities though, so he was safe, even if he did get stabbed.

On the topic of the letter (more like invitation), it came to the Order, addressed to his full name, surprising the hell out of him (because only Tiedoll wrote to Kanda using his full name, and the General didn't write often, he was too scatterbrained). Kanda had just come back from a mission, a little injured (in his opinion), and he had been dragged (by the ear) to the medical wing by the Head Nurse. Kanda didn't dare anger the woman. He had been on the receiving end of her temper one too many times (Kanda just considered bandages hard to move around in, not realizing that you were not supposed to move while having them), and the samurai had concluded that Lenalee wasn't too bad when angry.

As soon as he had managed to wriggle out of the medical wing (sneak out, using his Exorcist skills unashamedly), Lenalee found him. The Chinese girl was carrying a tray with coffee, heading to revive the science department when she stumbled onto Kanda. She gave him a strange look, not wanting to comment on his state of undress, or mummified new look. To his defense, he was attempting to take the bandages off when she found him (the Head Nurse had decided to wrap them insanely thick and complex, so he wouldn't take them off right away). A look of illumination flashed on Lenalee's face for a second and she addressed him.

"Kanda! How was your mission?" Chitchat. He hated small talk. He hated talk. Small or not. Frowning and managing to get his hands free, Kanda gave her an annoyed look. However, he did answer.

"Fine." He liked Lenalee, which was weird in itself. The girl was kind. She was too kind. He remembered when she came to the Order. She had been so scared, so fragile, so small and alone. He had pitied her then. However, she had gathered herself and made something good out of all that bad. She had managed to make the Order her home. Lenalee had gone a long way from that pitiful, wailing creature on the bed. Now, she was a strong Exorcist. She was a willful girl, fighting for her beliefs. Kanda could respect that.

"I'm glad." Lenalee said, placing her tray on the railing in the hallway. "While you were away Reever made this machine-" And Kanda tuned her out as she updated him on the state of the Order. He liked her, yes, but that didn't mean that he liked all the chitchat that came with her. He knew that this was her way of showing that she cared. She knew how detached he was from the Order, how indifferent he was, and she was attempting to reconnect him, integrate him, by constantly giving him updates on what the people were doing. He didn't think that she knew just how much it annoyed him.

But, Kanda decided to let it go. It obviously meant a lot to her to give him updates. So, he would let her. The girl genuinely cared, which was rare enough in this world as it is. However, she also cared for him. Now that was even rarer. Kanda wasn't the easiest person to like. He wasn't the easiest person to understand either. He didn't like people. Actually, he could count the things that he liked on one hand, and the ones that he didn't, well… He wasn't even going to attempt to count them. There were a lot of them.

"Kanda?" Lenalee called out to him. He noticed how she had a letter in her hands. The samurai raised an eyebrow. He hoped that it wasn't for him. Because, only Tiedoll and Daisya wrote to him. And frankly, he didn't like it when either wrote to him (even though he got that feeling of heat spreading through his chest whenever he received a letter). "This came for you through a Finder in France."

Kanda's eyes widened and he quickly reached out for the paper. Lenalee looked a bit surprised at his enthusiasm (usually he took the letters with disdain), but she let him take it. Kanda looked around, as if trying to see if anyone else knew that he had received a letter. Then, he composed himself again (much to Lenalee's amusement), and gave her a tiny nod of thanks. The Chinese girl watched him walk away (with a white tail of bandages). She gave a smile to the empty hallway and picked up her tray once again.

Kanda was flustered, his neck and ears red. It made her insanely curious. Briefly, the Chinese girl considered discussing it with Lavi.

* * *

Paris was better than last time. In Kanda's opinion, that is. Any normal person would've been annoyed by the amount of flurries and sludge on the streets, but they didn't really bother the samurai. He had managed to make an excuse (stealthy in his opinion, but only in his) to Komui and get sent on yet another mission. Sure, he was a bit tired, and hurting from his wounds, but the healing had already kicked in and he was on his way to recovery. It was annoying, how slow it had gotten, it used to be simple to regenerate an arm or two, but now, stabs and gashes were a challenge, much less a severed limb. Kanda was more headstrong than your average Joe, so, he wouldn't take no for an answer and sit still in bed. Komui knew, that if he didn't grant Kanda's sudden request for a mission, he would find the Exorcist in the training rooms, opening his wounds while swinging his sword around. So, the Supervisor allowed the request, giving the samurai a trip to Portugal. There had been some strange, possibly Innocence related activity there. Kanda had requested to go over Paris, using connecting trains (something about comfort and rest that Komui didn't really buy, but allowed). At least the angry man would be still for a while on the train, his bigger wounds would have some time to heal, Komui kept telling himself.

And now, here was Kanda, tightening the hold on his coat and heading towards the 'Les belles nuits'. His boots kept slipping on the dirty sludge of snow and he growled whenever a carriage passed by, spraying the mess all around it. He managed to find the old building easily enough, and pushed the door open. The smoke and laugher swallowed him. The band was playing in the corner, like last time, and Kanda was warmed up instantly.

"Mr. Samurai!" The girl from last time addressed him, fluttering over to him from her place on some gentleman's lap. Her skirt was considerably shorter than last time, but still in the same deep royal green color. It clashed with her hair, Kanda thought, but not in an entirely bad way. As soon as he looked at her face, he got a pang of annoyance in his stomach for some reason. "Are you cold, Mr. Samurai?" She grabbed his arm, clinging to it like last time. She was looking at him. She was looking right through the angry front, analyzing. Kanda pushed her away.

"You should learn how to write a proper letter. It took me an hour to decipher it." Kanda attempted to hit her where it hurt. It was the truth though. She had written the letter, making atrocious grammar mistakes everywhere. He was a bit surprised to receive a letter, especially from a prostitute. They weren't supposed to be educated in his mind. Then again, he wasn't too good with letters either. He was better than Daisya though. His maps were more detailed. Precise. When he actually bothered to make them. Which was almost never.

"Maybe you're just slow?" She retorted readily. Kanda grumbled, but followed her to the stairs and up. She was leading him to the Madam's room. He had been there last time. Kanda tried to drown out all the moans that were ringing out from different rooms. A brothel. He swore to himself that Lavi would never ever find out about this. Ever. The girl knocked on a familiar door and entered after a short yell in French from the inside. The samurai was expecting to see the Madam naked on the bed with a client or something, but she wasn't. She was sitting with a tall, slender, sharp dressed man, drinking tea. The Exorcist gave a frown, but didn't comment.

"Ah! Sasha, cherie! Asseyez-vous, s'il vous plaît! Vous aussi, cher!" The redhead waved them both over. Kanda didn't react at first. He didn't speak French, after all, he had no idea what she wanted. The girl, however, solved his problem. Her fingers gripped his elbow with surprising strength and pushed him forward. Soon, the samurai found himself in between the two women, staring at the scrawny gentleman in front of him. The man didn't seem deterred, though. He was staring at Kanda like the samurai was his next course or something. The swordsman felt a chill go down his spine. His instincts were telling him to get the hell out of there. And Kanda never ignored his instincts. He stood, his back rigid and muscles tight with tension.

"I don't have time for tea parties. I leave for Portugal tonight." The Madam gave a nod. The blue eyed, rude girl stood with a sigh. She exchanged a couple of sentences in French with the Madam and then grabbed Kanda and led him out. Her hand didn't leave his elbow even after the door had closed. Her grip was strong, almost painful. Kanda let her lead him away. At least she wasn't looking at him like that anymore. Looking him through, seeing his core. He hated that look.

"That was very rude." The girl finally spoke with surprising anger in her voice. "Monsieur De Beauchamp may have peculiar tastes, but he is a good client." They were almost all the way down the stairs by now.

"Che." Kanda's glare deepened. "If peculiar is another way to say perverted then sure, he has peculiar preferences." He smirked when the girl whirled around, giving him a heated glare. Finally, he could see her. She had surprising fire there, under all that make-up of politeness and poise. She was live fire.

"You don't understand anything." She retorted, calming down. She seemed sad. Impressive self-control, Kanda thought.

"I understand that you need my help." The samurai said. She shook her head and laughed suddenly. Kanda was surprised. He had tried to bait her again. He preferred her hotheaded, rather than cold and analyzing. He hated that look when she read people. He hated being read.

"You're adorable." This surprised him even further. "You're scared because a man gave you a bit of attention? Stared at you like you were a piece of meat?" She was too close for comfort. Kanda felt his back hit the wall, peeling paint leaving marks on his dark coat. He hadn't been aware that he had stepped back. Her eyes were lidded, analyzing him, reading his every move. She was enjoying the way he squirmed. The way his neck and ears went beet red. Kanda felt pissed when he looked at her for some reason. Her face pissed him off. He searched his memory for her name, but it wasn't there. She simply hadn't been important. Now she was. Now, she was a threat. She was looking.

"I'm not into those kinds of things." Kanda grit through his teeth. He didn't like men. He liked women. True, his first kiss had been with a man. Jiji had drunk one too many and Kanda had suffered the consequences. He was well aware that he was attractive. That he looked girly to some people. That he could pass for a woman if he really tried. And he didn't give a damn about it. He was an Exorcist. Appearance was irrelevant.

"You're easily one of the most beautiful people that I've ever seen." Suddenly, the girl didn't seem threatening. Her hand came up and brushed a piece of his hair out of his eyes gently. Surprisingly, Kanda wasn't really bothered by the close proximity of her skin. Her eyes captivated him. She was still looking at him, but in a different way. Her eyes were sad, nostalgic. She was still reading him, but not forcefully. She wasn't invading. She was gentle, caressing him with her mere presence. Her words hit deeper than he liked to admit.

"Shall we go find those demons of yours?" She suddenly pulled away and walked down the remaining steps. Kanda's ears were assaulted by all the noise from the bar. The band and the laughter and the moans, they had been muffled, almost mute, when she had come close to him, pushed him to the edge. He felt a bit lightheaded. He took a breath and realized that he had barely been breathing.

The woman was trouble and he couldn't even remember her name.

The girl slipped on the sludge outside for the thousandth time and Kanda finally got fed up. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, draping a casual arm around her shoulders. To everyone else they looked like a happy couple walking in the miserable weather. However, Kanda could feel his neck and ears burn at the close proximity of a girl that was definitely not Lenalee (who he considered a friend, hence a big romantic no-no). The girl, though, she could feel the impossibly strong grip of the Exorcist on her green coat. She was pretty sure that no matter how much she slipped now, he wouldn't let her fall.

The rain started, much to Kanda's amusement (he had his warm, waterproof coat, while the cheeky prostitute soaked in her beloved green fabric). However, he wanted to get this over with and head out to Portugal. He hadn't told Komui about the unusual activity of Akuma in Paris. He wasn't planning to either. It wasn't really his problem. Or more like, it was only his problem. Komui didn't really need to know, Kanda reasoned.

The troublesome girl pulled him to the left and away from the carriages and the busier roads. She led him further and further into the outskirts, along the Seine. At some point Kanda got a tad suspicious, but he relied on his instincts, as usual. They weren't turning on any alarms in his head, so he figured that they were fine. Soon, she pulled him into a building. Kanda had to admit that he hesitated before entering. The structure looked ominous. It was made out of bricks, tall, looking like a factory of sorts. The old windows were either broken or messily taped and fixed with planks. Snow was both on the outside and the inside.

"We've all heard rumors of this factory being haunted. Supposedly, the workers died here during a fire and now they stay here, still, with unfinished business." The girl spoke, her voice grim. Obviously, she was a good storyteller. He was touched.

"Tch." The samurai gave his opinion.

The girl led him further inside, her shiny heels clicking against the metal parts of the floor. Kanda followed. It sounded like perfect Akuma breeding ground to him. Enough dead to go around for all. He would've been surprised if no one had been visited by the greedy Earl.

The girl slowed down and then completely stopped after a while, silent. Kanda gave her a look, waiting for her to continue. He didn't see any Akuma. They had called, so, they should know where the creatures that they wanted dead were. The prostitute stood still for a second. She was staring at the wall that had been brought down by fire. Kanda could see the gaping holes and different smudges. People had probably burned right there, in that spot. He wasn't about to say it out loud, though. The girl looked traumatized enough. He did enjoy causing terror and mishap from time to time, however, Kanda knew where to draw the line. He wasn't a good person, and he knew that, but he wasn't evil either. He merely used different methods to obtain things. Breaking someone so clearly broken, it wasn't Kanda's style.

"Mademoiselle Sasha?" A voice came from behind them and the two turned, debris crunching with the movement. Kanda's hand which had reached for his sword relaxed when he saw the woman. She was a pretty, middle aged lady, dressed rather formally. She had a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"Madam Monette! Comment allez-vous depuis tout ce temps?" The vulnerable look was gone from the girl's face. It was carefully schooled into a mask of politeness and perfection. "This is my friend, Kanda, from Asia." The prostitute suddenly introduced him, surprising the samurai a bit. He didn't let it show on his face, though.

"Oh! I see!" The woman answered. "I 'ave been as vell as one could be, petit Sasha." Kanda was a bit glad that they had switched from French. He understood, but then again, he didn't really care. He didn't want to know more about the strange prostitute. In fact, he wanted to finish his job and be on his way. The less time he spent with the woman that could read him so well, the better. She was dangerous, in the worst of ways.

As the two females chatted away, Kanda decided to explore. He gave a tiny nod to the girl and went deeper into the building. It was falling apart, so he kept testing out his steps carefully. Falling a couple of floors down wouldn't do him any good. Factories like these had basements. Kanda had been in a couple before (one involving Daisya and his Charity Bell, needless to say, it had ended badly). Going down with his current wounds wouldn't be good at all. A scream tore through the stale air from somewhere behind Kanda and he changed directions in an instant, heading back towards the girl.

Excitement pooled into his stomach, as he drew Mugen. Kanda saw the exit and two figures, one on the floor and the other rising off the ground, expanding into an Akuma. In a split second, the samurai appeared on the other side of the space, jumping towards the Akuma. He slashed twice, making precise cuts and landed on his feet, away from the liquid spray that ensued. The Akuma exploded and he headed towards the fallen prostitute.

"Is that all of them?" Kanda's voice was cold, detached. The girl looked at him, eyes wide. Obviously, she had known the woman. Maybe even been close to her. He hated these cases. He hated the whole crying and screaming part. However, it never came. The girl took a few deep breaths, eyes wide and managed to get up. Kanda watched carefully, still waiting for an emotional outburst. Another few trembling breaths and the prostitute looked up at the Exorcist, eyes still wide. Her mouth was open, tiny, shaky gasps coming out. Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." She finally managed to gasp out. Her hands were shaking. Kanda could see her legs buckling. The pretty royal green coat was wet with the melting snow from the ground.

"Che." The samurai turned around, slipping Mugen back into its sheath. This was going to be a pain. He could tell. Oh well, they weren't Finders. He may not like the white clad people, but they were rather useful. Finders were selected on their skills with languages, investigation, information gathering etc. Unfortunately, Kanda didn't like them, and spent most of his time Finder-less. No matter how skilled they were, they were replaceable, unlike Exorcists. Not many people could use the Innocence. Kanda was all too familiar with the whole yearning-for-Innocence state. He had tried to be indifferent towards that, too. The keyword was tried. In the end, he mostly hated left and right. It was an emotion that he knew how to deal with.

"Exorcist!" The girl followed Kanda, heading outside. Her heels were clicking against the metal again. Kanda didn't stop though. "Hey! You're not going to search for others?" She asked, finally grabbing his forearm. Kanda whirled around, glaring.

"That's not my job." He growled, unconsciously enjoying the way the girl flinched. She wasn't all that strong and analyzing now. The girl was trembling like a leaf, gripping his forearm like a lifeline. Kanda ripped away from the strawberry blonde, scowl deepening.

"You can't just leave!" She followed him again, stepping into his path. Kanda glared and she flinched once more. "You can't just leave!" She repeated. Her eyes were different. He could see that fire from before. Kanda knew how to deal with that. He himself had that flame inside. He smirked.

"It's not my job to look for Akuma. They either find me and attack me, or the Finders tell me where to go to kill them." He told her. She was still for a moment, frozen. Then, she slowly relaxed, the fire leaving her eyes. The prostitute looked broken, devastated. They both remained there for a while. The girl was in shock, Kanda could tell. She was on an emotional rollercoaster. The samurai, well, he was waiting for a reaction. No matter how much he didn't care about the girl, her reactions amused him. She wore her feelings on her sleeve. It was strangely refreshing and painfully honest.

"But-" She spoke. "What about us?" Now she was looking up at him, hopeful. Kanda knew what she meant. The escorts. They weren't protected by the police. They were invisible. Dead or alive, it didn't really matter. One more or one less prostitute didn't really matter. Their lives were insignificant, forgotten. Kanda understood what she meant. He understood the fear or dying tomorrow and no one paying attention. No one noticing that you are gone. No one really caring. Because you were insignificant.

"It's not my problem." Kanda spoke.

**That's all folks!**

**Excuse my French, it's been a while since I've used it :P**


	3. In which Kanda gives up…

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: In which Kanda gives up…**

Kanda ended up staying in Paris that night. No. He did not stay because of guilt. He didn't stay because of the prostitutes. He stayed because of Akuma. He was an Exorcist. A destroyer. He needed to stay there and destroy the demons. It was his duty, his fate. He definitely did not stay because he could relate to the prostitute. No, that would've been atrocious.

Convincing Komui had been an art. He had ended up telling the Supervisor a half-truth. Kanda didn't know how to lie. He was a terrible liar, in fact. He would to get flustered, his neck and ears would burn and he tended to forget the cover story, too. So, Kanda had found a way to solve this problem a couple of years back. It was around the time when Leverrier had come for a visit to the European Branch. Lenalee had vanished into Kanda's favorite dojo, meditating with him for hours. Even after he left, she would stay there and sit still. Kanda never asked questions. There was simply no need to. He knew. He had seen the Inspector in action. Cruel was one way to describe it. Cold and uncaring another. Kanda was detached, indifferent, but he was never cruel. He was above that. Weak people tended to protect themselves by being cruel, and Kanda was anything but weak. He sometimes came off as annoying. He got called a Devil or a Demon, but, he was never cruel just for the sake of being cruel. Uncaring, yes, but not evil.

"Mr. Samurai, will this be alright?" The prostitute that he had been assigned to, the rude strawberry blone one, got his attention. He looked at her and felt that familiar pang of irritation. Her face really pissed him off. She wasn't ugly or anything. But, there was just somehing that pissed him off. Then again, a lot of things pissed Kanda off.

The Exorcist looked around the room that she had been showing him. It was rather plain, but comfortable. A bed, a small dresser, a nightstand and a window. Not a lot, but it was better than the cold and wet snow outside. Kanda undid the strap of his Mugen, taking the sword into his hands. He headed to the bed, but then changed his mind and placed the sword onto the nightstand. The girl must've noticed, because she spoke.

"Those are fresh sheets, washed this morning." Honestly, Kanda was glad that she had spoken and made him focus on her, rather than the muffled moans. "And this is one of the out of service bedrooms. It used to be mine, actually." Kanda turned around, giving her a glare, but she didn't stop talking. She didn't even flinch at the heated glare. "Madam is good to us. We aren't just business to her. We are a family."

Kanda snorted. "So, following that logic, your mother pimps you out to sleezy men? Or do you consider her your sister?" He was being nasty and he knew it. However, Kanda called it like he saw it. The girl didn't react how he expected. She didn't cry and she didn't yell. She laughed.

"Sounds bad when you say it that way." Kanda took off his coat and threw it onto the bed. The girl had walked towards it and plopped down, making herself comfortable. The garment landed beside her. "I came here a while back, but, unlike I expected, the Madam didn't make me work right away. She let me do chores and dance or play an instrument in the band. I even bartended for a while." Kanda leaned against the wall, listening. He didn't particulary care about the blonde. However, she was intriguing. She pushed his limits, but, she never made him lose it completely, like others did. It was strange, how well she could read him, considering that he had met Lavi. The Stupid Rabbit was a genius (even though he acted like an idiot a lot). He knew people. Maybe he just irritated Kanda for the heck of it. However, this girl was interesting. She pushed, but always pulled away just in time.

"Even now, I don't provide the same services as some of the girls. Mostly, I mediate." Kanda must've looked confused, because she quickly explained. "I speak a couple of languages and I'm pretty good with people. I'm of more use in the bar, mediating, rather than in the bed, moaning under a man." The girl smiled a dangerous, coy smile when Kanda's ears went red. He couldn't help it. He was a man. And she had basically put a picture into his head.

"Tch." The girl stood, surprising him a bit.

"The bar is going to serve dinner in a couple of hours. You are welcome to come down and dine with us." With another smile, she left him, closing the door behind her and muffling the low music and moaning.

Kanda spent his spare time meditating. Well, attempting to meditate. It gave his, still healing, wounds time to recover. He sat on the floor, trying to drown out the music and moans. Darn brothel. Stupid meditation. It was supposed to hone his senses, but that backfired in this situation. It made him especially receptive to sound. So, he heard everything. After a while, he gave up and just sat there, on the floor, thinking.

He wondered why hadn't he just gone to Portugal? He could've. But, that would've meant leaving Akuma alive. No, he couldn't diss his job. He was a destroyer. He would destroy them. The girl's face had been priceless, though. They had left the factory, and after walking for a while, he had stopped and taken out his golem. After connecting it to a public phone and talking to his Supervisor, the samurai had growled at the girl that he would be staying the night and to provide accomodation. If Kanda didn't make it on the noon train tomorrow, Komui was going to have to send Lenalee to Portugal. Well, it was about time to get her out there for a bit. The Supervisor was a bit too overprotective.

The whole way to the brothel, the girl had clung to his elbow, talking his hear off, ecstatic. Kanda had tuned her out after a while. She could've been speaking in French for all he knew. The shock of someone she knew dying had worn off fast. It was surprising to the samurai. Intruiging. She had to have had a previous face-to-face with death to be like that. Then again, looking around the quarter, it wasn't improbable that she had come close to death quite a few times.

It was strange, the girl's presence. Kanda usually didn't like being touched. Especially his hair. However, this prostitute had breached all of those lines, rather casually, and in a strange way, she hadn't been invasive. Usually, when people touched Kanda they had a reason to. That reason made them invasive somehow. The touches bothered Kanda. They made him feel strange and vulnerable. They made him feel uncomfortable. So, Kanda didn't like being touched. But, this prostitute, she didn't touch to be invasive. No, he could tell, she did it to confirm her existence. This girl, both with her analyzing look and gentle, natural touches, he didn't mind her. She annoyed him, like everyone else, but, he supposed that she wasn't a bad person to do mediation. She knew how to read people and when to push and when to pull back. He, too, had been a victim of her ways, more than once. Lavi will never find out. Actually, since Lavi will never find out about Kanda's deal with the Madam, he will never need to know about Sasha.

A frown appeared on Kanda's face. Usually, it was relaxed when he meditated or sat still. He had remembered her name. Sasha. It was a strange name, but it suited her somehow. Kanda had that weird thing, where he just 'knew' how someone bearing a certain name should look like. Sasha was usually a girl's nickname (unisex in some countries). He imagined a short person, with partially wavy hair and wide, bright eyes. And a white scarf. No, that was just the prostitute. A strange prostitute indeed. She really did love that stupid white scarf and the silly royal green color.

A knock came from the door and a brunette in a pink dress peeked in, not waiting for approval. Her eyes looked over Kanda with appreciation, giggling, while he attempted to avoid looking anywhere below her face (it was a challenge, as she was wearing very little). She made a strange motion with her hand, and he just stared at her (he didn't really get what she was trying to tell him). A small frown passed her face and then she entered the room, grabbing Kanda's arm. He felt something coil in the pit of his stomach. The contact made him uncomfortable.

"Allons-y! Dinner!" The girl heavily rolled her words. French, Kanda frowned and shook her off, but he did follow. Where was the strawberry blonde? The one that actually spoke a language other than French and didn't piss him off too much.

The short journey down two flights of stairs was almost non-existent. By now, Kanda was used to the noises of the upper floors. He blocked them out and schooled his eyes away from the couple of open doors. He really didn't need to see any more naked duos or trios doing the horizontal tango. He had made the mistake of letting his eyes wander on his way up with Sasha. Yes, he was a samurai. He would practice his iron will and self-control. Right now.

The brunette's arm suddenly looped around his, pulling him into the loud bar. Kanda flinched, but made himself not react. It's not because she was a woman. Kanda didn't really set men and women apart in that department. Sure, he preferred to fight men, however, he didn't discriminate. But, in this situation, he discerned that it was much better to hold it in this time. Between the brunette's little-to-none language skills and the nature of his visit, it could end badly.

The bar was full of sounds. The band in the corner slowed down gradually after a while, and then completely stopped playing. The ladies and gentlemen that were sitting around and talking (or kissing and groping, Kanda mostly ignored that part), quieted. The brunette let go of his arm and headed to one of the older gentlemen with a woman on each side. She settled herself into his lap and he held her there, a smile on his face. Kanda grunted in annoyance and headed for the bar. There, he pushed himself on a tall stool and looked around, searching for Sasha. He didn't find her.

A couple of girls went back and forth, from behind the counter and carried plates and bowls with different foods onto the small tables in between the couches and ottomans. There was silence and then a single high pitched, but gentle sound rang through the room. Kanda looked to see the Madam dipping her fingers into her glass once again. She took them out and dragged them around the edge of her glass, producing another gentle sound. Her girls soon followed suit, and there was music. Everyone was still, listening. Kanda wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but it was mesmerizing. There was just something enchanting about the whole scene.

All the girls had smiles on their faces, making different sounds with their variety of glasses and drinks. A girl with pitch black, curly hair placed a plate in front of Kanda. She gave him a sly, inviting smile and walked away, giving him a full view of her behind. Kanda ignored it.

He was finishing his meal when the smoking started. The women would eat and take short puffs from different cigars, making it hard to breathe. The customers mostly ate, however, some didn't, and chose to smoke with the women and fool around with them. Kanda's observant eyes caught a flash of royal green and he zoomed in on it, not lowering his fork. Sure enough, there was Sasha in her signature color, a small dress on her, showing her shoulders and riding up all the way to her thighs, the way she sat. And she was settled on a man's lap, straddling him. She was bent, whispering into his ear, giggling. The gentleman was giving her a look. That look. The sleazy, wanting one. Kanda growled and stood, food suddenly tasteless.

Rage burned hot red in him as he marched back upstairs. He didn't know why he was angry. She was a prostitute. It was normal for her to pleasure men. Even though Madam had assigned her to be his guide, she had a job.

She wasn't his or anything. He squashed the anger and grabbed his coat and sword. It was time to look for Akuma.

Surprisingly, after hours of language barrier frustration and threatening, Kanda found some Akuma related commotion. He had managed to obtain a list of the fire victims from the police (one of the younger officers knew some English). At first, they weren't too happy to give him the names, however, after Kanda mentioned his employer (the Black Order was rather famous, after all), they gave them to him, and offered any help that they could provide. The Exorcist declined. He needed to keep busy. He didn't want to go back to that brothel. All those women with knowing eyes and strange, unashamed behavior were giving him a headache. And Sasha. She was becoming more and more annoying every time she crossed Kanda's mind. She acted too familiar and her face annoyed him. He needed to be busy and not there, where he could see the irritating woman.

He went to each address from the list, looking for loved ones that were grieving. He found a couple of Akuma, almost all Level Ones. After all, his skills were honed to sense them. A particularly nasty Level Two (with some kind of an exploding ability) had been a bit of a problem. It had added a number on injuries on his old wounds, causing him to stumble clumsily from blood loss and pain.

Kanda frowned and spit out some Akuma blood that had gotten into his mouth with disdain. He stumbled on the icy cobblestones and marched on. His breath created small puffs of white as he exhaled. The air was crisp and the sun hadn't risen yet. The sky was slowly becoming less and less dark, though. Kanda wrinkled his nose at the smell of the Akuma blood. It was oilier than normal blood, and it had a strange unpleasant scent. Kanda didn't really care, but it was a bit annoying, all over his coat and hair. Yes, he wanted a bath.

With another stumble, Kanda reached the brothel. He opened the door, glad to be out of the street. He didn't really like all the stares that he had been getting. The bell jingled when he closed it. Kanda was surprised to see the bar almost empty and silent. The slowly rising sun lit the room. A couple of girls were tidying up, removing the plates and glasses. Kanda walked forward, not really caring that he was leaving Akuma blood all over the place. He wanted a bath and to be on his way after a couple of hours of sleep.

He saw a familiar face and walked to the girl. When he touched her shoulder with his hand, she stopped folding the blankets and looked up. A smile made its way onto her face and she spoke in French. Fast. He tried to make some words out, separate them, but she was speaking too fast. At some point, she must've realized that he didn't understand a word, because she giggled and then spoke slowly, but barely understandable.

"Velcome back. Sasha up." She pointed towards the stairs for good measure. Kanda supposed that this was as good as he was going to get. He gave the girl a nod and then walked towards the stairs. He headed upwards, frowning at the way his boots made squishy noises because of the blood. He went to the second floor right away, where the non-customer rooms were. There, he stopped the first girl that he saw.

"Where's Sasha?" Kanda growled. The dark haired woman tilted her head, but she pointed to a door that Kanda hadn't seen open yet. He gave her a nod and headed there. He heard the girl giggle behind him, but he didn't stop. Without knocking, Kanda entered the room. It was steamy inside, the whole place in tiles. A bath, Kanda figured. Sure enough, he saw the bathtub in the middle of the room and a girl sitting on the edge. Well, an outline in the steam, that is. He felt his neck go red and reached back for the doorknob to leave.

She turned slightly when he entered, looking at him. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the blood, but she schooled her expression. Kanda could see Sasha's skin. It was red, rubbed furiously, probably with hot water. He gave a frown, but didn't ask questions. If she wanted to hate herself, she could. It wasn't his problem.

"Feel free to join me. You look like you need it." Sasha gave her usual cheeky reply. Kanda, even though he could feel his neck and ears burning, stayed just to spite her. He placed his Mugen on one of the clothing shelves and unbuckled his coat. It fell from his shoulders and down on the floor in a heap. Kanda didn't bother to fold it, but kept stripping. He dropped his shirt and undid his ponytail, letting his dark hair (dirtied with Akuma blood) fall down his, now bare, back.

He could feel her gaze on him. It wasn't reading, analyzing, it was hot, scortching. She liked what she saw. Why was he even doing this? Kanda wondered for a second. He knew very well why. She had teased him. She had left him speechless and breathless, disoriented, enough times. Now, he would repay the favor. Cheeky prostitute. His threats rattled her, but not enough. He would fight fire with fire.

Kanda was by no means shy about his physique. In fact, he knew that his body was a sight to see (with all the training that he did, how could it not be?), but he found his ears going lobster red when he dropped his pants and bent to undo his boots. It was the prostitute. She had done something to him. There was no other way to explain it. He had felt entilted to her full attention. Why? Sure, the Madam had given her to him as a guide, but she was still a working girl. Kanda didn't have any claim on her or anything. Yet, he had been pissed off because he hadn't had her full attention today. She had done something to his head. Bewitched him. Kanda didn't believe in witches. They had almost always turned out to be Akuma. Maybe she was an Akuma? A Level Two whose special ability allowed her to manipulate his mind? Then why would she call the Order to kill all the Level Ones? A cover? Kanda was confusing himself, going in circles, stripping on autopilot.

"That's a beautiful tattoo, Mr. Samurai. What does it mean?" The voice came from behind him and her fingers touched his left shoulder and bicep while she inspected the tattoo in the mirror in front of them. Kanda jumped a little at the contact. He wasn't used to people touching him. He wasn't used to people touching him while he was naked. He wasn't used to being naked in front of other people.

"Wash these." Kanda said. It wasn't really an order, but it wasn't a request either. The girl got the meaning though. She pushed away from him, her fingers gliding along his flesh as long as they could before letting go. Kanda surpressed shivers at her gentle touch. She was trouble. Sasha was trouble.

"I'll be back in a bit." She informed him, collecting his clothes and leaving. Kanda felt like he had succeeded. After all, he hadn't looked at her naked body even once. Kanda walked over to the clawfoot tub. The water looked clean enough, but he emptied it either way. The liquid had been hot. Almost unbearably so. Had Sasha actually bathed in this? She must be insane then. Kanda liked his water warm. In fact, he had quite enjoyed the hotsprings that were a tradition in his home country. However, this was a bit too much, even for him. The samurai inspected the tub and the room, searching for a source of water. He really missed the Order at times like these. The Science Department had made running water for the whole building (to everyone's joy). They had public baths, but some rooms (usually the Generals stayed in these) had their own tubs. Kanda had to admit that he was guilty of abusing General Tiedoll's bathroom. Well, the chain of missions had left the samurai in pretty bad shape (the water had helped him speed up the healing process). Just as Kanda was about to peek out and yell for Sasha, the girl in question opened the door. She looked up at Kanda's surprised face (he was just about to open said door), and gave him a tiny smile, throwing him off guard.

"A little help here?" It wasn't an order. It was a request. Kanda's strong arms came to the handles of her burden, a large metal pot of sorts, and he took it with ease. The samurai gave her a questioning look at the clear and steaming liquid from the pot. "Water for your bath." Sasha explained and headed into the room. She was clothed now. Well, partially, but Kanda would take anything over her completely naked like before. The soft cotton robe (in royal green) covered just enough, even though Kanda had seen almost everything when he had entered. He was really thankful for all the steam in the bath. His ears were burning.

Sasha waited until he poured the water into the tub and then she made him get in. Kanda enjoyed the feel of the hot liquid relaxing his muscles. His wounds didn't hurt too badly anymore. A bath really did fix everything. She passed him some soap and pulled a small chair near his head. Kanda expected her to leave, but she sat down (outside of his vision) and started rummaging around. The samurai pushed back the red flare that hadn't left his neck and ears, but it only intensified at the close proximity of the girl.

Sasha's hand, with a small bowl in it, came over his shoulder (Kanda noticed her maniquered nails, baby blue, like her eyes) and she scooped some of the warm water. He felt the liquid hit his temple and slide down (he did not flinch, at all), wetting his hair. The Akuma blood dripped into the clear water, making it go a weird gray with oily circles of purple on top. However, Sasha didn't stop. She poured another bowl of water over his head and Kanda dreaded what was going to come next. The girl's hands came down and into his dark locks, rubbing something in them. Now, he flinched. Rage bubbled in him. How dare she? This was too personal! Even for the way that she pushed his boundaries! Kanda's hands flew up and grabbed hers in a vice grip.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled, murderous. If Mugen had been closer, he would've drawn in. Kanda felt Sasha tremble at the sheer power in his voice. Good. She should be scared.

"Serving you?" Her tone was questioning. She believed that she hadn't done anything wrong. Another growl left Kanda's mouth.

"This is what you do for your custumers?" He was angry. He was furious. He wasn't some pervert that came here to take advantage of these poor girls. No, if he wanted a woman, he would get one, the proper way. Courting, Lavi had explained it all (even though Kanda really hadn't wanted to hear it). The whole thing with flowers. Ridiculous. However, Kanda would do it, if he ever found the woman that was worth all that trouble (which he doubted). Then again, maybe that woman would be worth it. The one that kept him alive.

"No." Sasha finally replied. "I'm doing this for you." Her hands wriggled left and right, and Kanda let go. She didn't touch him again. Kanda felt her move forwards, her drying hair brushing against his shoulder. "May I continue?" She asked, suddenly polite. She was good. He would give her that much. An unwanted heat spread through his chest. The one that he usually felt around Tiedoll, Lenalee and Marie. Well, sometimes even around Daisya and the Stupid Rabbit.

"Che." Kanda chose not to really reply. He wasn't really sure whether he wanted her to help him with his hair or not. His anger and ego were saying no, but his tired muscles and heavy arms were saying yes. Akuma blood was always a real bitch to get out of hair (especially because Kanda washed it with soap). In the end, Kanda chose to pick up the soap and start at his legs.

He jumped a bit when Sasha's fingers sank back into his hair, but didn't object. A pang of irritation went through him. He didn't like people touching him. He especially didn't like people touching his hair. He pushed the irritation down, a scowl deepening on his face and rubbed his calf angrily. A few minutes later, the samurai relaxed under the girl's hands though. He even leaned back (he would never ever admit that he did that), so Sasha could reach everything better. Her fingers were magic. They pressed against his scalp gently, alternating between hard and soft circles, her nails scraping against his head from time to time. Kanda was reduced to putty.

He wasn't sure how much time passed between her rinsing and putting more stuff in his hair and then repeating the process. He could've been there for hours for all he knew. At some point, he had stopped washing himself and just leaned back, enjoying the attention. The irritation that he usually got when someone touched his hair was still there, but it had taken a back seat in his mind. This must be heaven, Kanda figured.

It all ended a bit too soon and Sasha pulled away. She had pulled his hair up in a bun, so it wouldn't get into the soapy water. Kanda grunted and pushed himself up, continuing his bath begrudgingly. A thought of kidnaping the girl passed his mind. Then again, the Order wouldn't be too happy about him bringing a prostitute just to wash his hair. However, Kanda did make a mental note. Every time he was somewhere near Paris, he would stop here and get a repeat of this. Yes, he would. Unashamedly.

He tuned in on Sasha moving about, and turned. She had bandages, a towel and clothes ready for him. Kanda pushed himself up and got out of the tub, ears aflame, and proudly walked to her to take the towel. Sasha never stopped smiling coyly, but she allowed him some privacy and turned around. Kanda was quick in drying himself and putting on the borrowed clothes (they were annoyingly large on him). He didn't touch the bandages. He didn't need them. It would heal soon anyways. Most of the blood on his clothes had been that of the Akuma he had killed.

"Feeling better, Mr. Samurai?" The girl spoke and Kanda looked down, searching for her expression. She was smiling. Like that day when she had sent him on his way to the Order. Damn woman. She was just the kind that Kanda couldn't deal with. Actually, he didn't know how to deal with her. Manipulative, yet honest, mischievous, yet kind. Sasha was a big contradiction. Just what had he gotten into?

"Tch." Kanda brushed past her, heading to his room. His neck and ears were still burning.

**That's all folks!**


	4. In which Kanda gets haunted…

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: In which Kanda gets haunted…**

Kanda growled at the Finder and the man went silent (finally, Kanda mentally groaned), allowing the Exorcist to read his mission file. They were on a train to Portugal, a small town called Peniche, was supposedly inhabited by some kind of a prophet or something. Kanda was skeptical, as usual, but the file told how this man performed miracles. He banished demons, purified ghosts and recognized witches. The samurai snorted as he read the file. Some woman had reported how this prophet, the man of God, had healed her son and then the Order had sent people to investigate further. Kanda's snort had a visible effect on the Finder, who was sitting on the floor in the same compartment as the Exorcist. The young man jumped a little and then cowered, leaning away from the fuming samurai. Great, Kanda thought. Komui had sent him the fresh meat to break in. A smirk made its way onto his face. Kanda was in a good mood. The Finder flinched again, as if sensing the impending danger.

Kanda had been in a good mood, though. Which was a rare occurrence. True, he got irritated easily, as usual, but he felt good. Satisfied. He had killed around ten Akuma in Paris, gotten a massage (one more thing that Lavi will never find out), and then, he had slept in a, surprisingly comfortable, bed like a baby. Sasha had woken him up after a couple of hours as he had instructed her (maybe six), just in time to make the train. He had done it in his usual fashion, jumping on top of the moving thing, unlike last time. The girl had insisted to come see him off. She was strange, that was for sure. She actually seemed comfortable around him. She tried to interpret his grunts of annoyance (sometimes even speaking like she was two people, which annoyed the hell out of Kanda) and she carefully watched his body language. The samurai had actually gotten used to her presence. She wasn't invading, bugging him with irrelevant things. Sasha did as he asked, without questioning him, without irritating him. But, she wasn't weak. She had her own opinion. She had her own fire. She was a contradiction. She was broken, Kanda realized. She was intriguing.

Kanda liked her.

The thought flashed through his mind and the Exorcist opened his eyes, glaring (the young Finder flinched). He truly liked her. Well, as much as Kanda could like someone. He liked Tiedoll. The man was gentle, honest and scatterbrained. He had taken in Kanda when the boy had been alone. He had given him parental love. He had treated him, and still called him, a son. Tiedoll had given him his name. He became Kanda, not just Yuu, the Second Exorcist project. It was puzzling. Kanda liked Marie. The man was quiet, soft-spoken and kind. Marie was strong, yet fragile, in his own way. He had accepted Kanda when the boy had still been in shambles, fighting his own demons in the Second Laboratory. He had recognized him later and hadn't changed his opinion, despite knowing Kanda's past. Marie had been kind. Kanda liked Lenalee. The girl had given him a home. She had welcomed him with open arms and she still tried to make him connect to the others. She had given so much to him, even though she had so little. She had been generous.

Kanda knew that he liked broken people. They gave him comfort, as he, too, was broken. The most broken people tended to be the most honest people, in Kanda's experience. After experiencing so much, you either go crazy or you become kind, transparent. The samurai had known, by instinct, that Sasha was one of those people. After spending time with her, he was sure. She had been broken, and was picking up the pieces. Kanda could appreciate that. Silently. He remembered the way that she unconsciously looped their arms whenever they walked together. She always talked. Like a little chatterbox. But, her stories had been interesting. Kanda will never admit that he had actually listened to most of them. He had heard about the brothel and the girls in it. Sasha had told him about the Madam and her kindness. She had told him about the dance nights (that were just magical in her opinion) and she had spoken about the occasional trip that the Madam would let them take. Sasha talked faster than Lenalee ever had. Frankly, it had been irritating. However, the girl seemed to have developed an immunity to Kanda's glare, so he couldn't find a way to make her go quiet. Now, sitting in the compartment with the young Finder, Kanda found it strangely silent. He leaned his head back and tried to drift off. He needed a few more hours of sleep.

Hopefully, the rest would make those blue eyes vanish from his mind and force some gruesome image or the other to take their place.

Sasha giggled, allowing the man's hand to reach further into her dress. His stubby fingers brushed against the inside of her thigh and she suppressed a shudder. She hated it. She hated this part of the job. The girls, the dancing, the Madam's share, the late nights, the insults. She could take it all. But, she couldn't stand this. The sleazy men reaching up her dress, with only one thing in mind. However, this was all she had. She had nothing else to sell.

Without family, without relatives, without friends, without possessions. Sasha did what she could. She got by. She scrubbed herself raw every morning and told herself that it was only for a few more weeks. Just until she got the money to get a place and a decent job. Just until. But, not even she believed those words anymore.

It was a man's world that Sasha lived in, and she knew it. Her sharp tongue couldn't get her out of the gender inequality. She was just a woman. No, she wasn't even a woman. She was a child, a little girl, alone in a man's world. She couldn't get a job. She wasn't reliable, after all. She couldn't live on her own. She wasn't reliable, after all. She couldn't go to school. It wasn't appropriate for women of her social standing to go. She couldn't have an opinion, because she was a woman. She had two choices: find a man to marry, or become a working girl. She had chosen the latter.

Why? She could've found a good man and married him. Had his children. Cleaned his house. Been a trophy wife. Lived and died of old age. But, Sasha didn't want that. Before the Madam had taken her in, she had been a street kid. An urchin, fighting for survival every day. She had travelled from place to place on the back of the train, illegally, without sleeping for days. She had learned languages by landing in different countries, without anyone to help her. She had stolen from mothers with children to survive. She had fought for her life on the street and won. She couldn't choose to serve a man. She couldn't choose to abandon her free will and become a baby oven. She wouldn't.

So, Sasha chose to, instead, service those same men in a brothel. She was a whore. She was disgusted by the dirty touches on her skin, but she was never ashamed of herself. After all, she still had her fire. She was still untamed, even if she was used. She was still that same street urchin that dug through garbage just to eat. She was still Sasha, and she was alive. That was all that mattered.

The man finally reached her underwear and she pulled away with a few gentle words, leaving for more champagne. She wouldn't return to him. Some other girl would sit next to him, and he would forget all about her in seconds. Sasha had a deal with the Madam. She lent the woman her language and people skills for money. If she chose to service a man in bed, she would do it. But, that wasn't her primary way of getting money. She was more useful mediating. That Exorcist had been a huge money loss. She had serviced him, been his guide and interpreter. She had abandoned her work, losing a lot of money, for him. True, the Madam had requested that she do so, but he was still a loss. She was behind on her share of the money that was given to the Madam, and Sasha knew it. She had slept with a couple of men in order to catch up, but she was still late. The zeros were piling up, and unless she figured a way to get them down to only one, she was screwed. The Madam would let her go or make her earn it in another way.

Yes, the woman was good to them. But, she was a businesswoman. She couldn't take big losses. If you didn't earn, you were no good to her. Sasha remembered when Annette had been pregnant. The woman had fallen behind on the payment and had to participate in the fetish rooms and orgies to make it up. Sasha didn't think that she could do that. She could still remember Annette all black and blue after an S&M session. No, she couldn't.

Sasha grabbed a bottle of champagne from the back of the counter and opened it. She drank straight from the bottle, not pausing. After a while, she lowered it onto the counter with a clank. She had gaged the distance wrong. Her fingertips were tingling and her head felt airy, like she could take flight at any moment. Good. She couldn't do this sober. Sasha headed back to the couches. Sure enough, the short man that she had been entertaining was gone, already serviced. A pang of annoyance flashed through Sasha's head. She didn't want to woo another one. She just wanted to get this over with. She needed the money.

A gentlemen from the corner smiled at her and Sasha felt the corners of her mouth pull up on instinct. Show time.

Kanda was pissed. Then again, Kanda was always pissed. But, this was ridiculous. His good mood had been completely obliterated. He had gotten there, to Portugal, only to get stonewalled. Apparently, the Finder hadn't prepped the Mayor on their situation. Kanda had ended up leaving (his negotiations involved Mugen) empty handed. He didn't have the permission of the town, but he still wanted to see the infamous healer. He had heard bits and pieces about the Curandeiras. They were healers, mostly women, but there were some men, too. They considered their healing touch a gift from God, and it was supposedly passed down the family line. They were holy men and women, held in high regard, despite the pagan nature of their healing rituals.

Kanda snorted to himself, causing the Finder to flinch. For the love of God, he couldn't remember the shaky thing's name. Well, he hadn't really tried to remember it either. Kanda didn't see anything special in Finders. This one was just like any other. And he would probably get killed and then another will come along. That's the circle of life.

"Exorcist-sama, shall we rent a room here? While we investigate further?" The Finder asked, catching up to Kanda's swift steps. The Exorcist gave him a glare, causing another flinch. What a joke. This useless man was not only useless, but he couldn't even do his job. Hell, he expected Kanda to do his job for him. Great. Just great. A scowl spread on Kanda's face as he sighted an inn. Good.

"This way." He ordered the Finder before the man could turn down an alley. Kanda marched on, not really looking if the newbie was following or not. He was getting beyond pissed now. The wound on his shoulder ached uncomfortably. Maybe he should've accepted those bandages from Sasha.

Curious, blue eyes flashed in his vision and Kanda growled. The Finder jumped a bit, but didn't comment. He was a bit too scared to comment. Kanda, on the other hand, was annoyed at himself. The girl had merely been a passing whore. She had been an insignificant persona in his life. One that he shouldn't have remembered. Like so many of the others. He had found that not remembering made it hurt less when they were gone. He had found a way to deal with the horrible pain. Just, don't let it get to you. Just, don't let them exist. Sasha was no different from all those Finders and humans that had died. Sasha was no different from all those people who had called upon the Earl to turn them into an Akuma. Sasha was no different than all of those that he had long forgotten.

No. She was different. She was Sasha. The prostitute named Sasha. She wasn't unnamed and forgotten. She was real. Painfully real. And, she was haunting his mind.

Kanda grunted and slammed the door of the inn open, announcing his presence. The man behind the counter looked at the angry Exorcist with a surprised face. Kanda reached behind himself and grabbed the Finder by his coat. He pushed the young man forward, growling through his teeth.

"Tell him that we need lodging."

The young Finder started stumbling through his Portuguese and Kanda snorted. Great. The Order sends him a newbie that doesn't know how to do his job. And then, he finds out that the newbie is also defective. Doesn't even know the language of the country that he was going to. He briefly wondered if Sasha knew Portuguese. She had told him about her trips here and there. He never did find out where she had originally come from. No. Get the cheeky whore out of your head, Kanda told himself.

"H-he says that you need to call in advance for rooms here, Exorcist-sama." The Finder stuttered. Kanda's glare was positively murderous. The young man flinched away from the angry samurai.

"What?" Kanda barked. His hand flew to the hilt of Mugen on his back. That was it. He was done. Time to finish this the usual way. In Kanda's experience the language barrier was a rather weak one. You merely had to yell loud enough and have a sharp object that you aren't afraid to use. A grin spread on Kanda's face. He would have no mercy. Everything had piled up. He was just going to let loose for a bit.

"Yuu!" A very familiar and irritating voice came from Kanda's left. "You can't just threaten everyone!" Kanda turned to the source of his further annoyance. Sure enough, there was Lavi, the Stupid Rabbit, and his usual companion, Bookman (they somehow always went together everywhere and it annoyed the hell out of Kanda).

The samurai frowned as the Exorcists neared him. "Don't call me by my first name." He growled at Lavi. The redhead merely grinned, unbothered by the murderous intent.

"We saved you the rooms, Yuu. Even though you were supposed to arrive yesterday." Lavi continued, not even looking at the blade that Kanda had drawn. The Finder retreated towards Bookman, searching protection from the soon-to-be-rampaging samurai. "Can't help it if you ran into Akuma in France." Lavi caught his chin with his fingers, thoughtful. "Why did you even go to France first? There was no need for a connecting train."

Nosy Stupid Rabbit. "Tch." Kanda chose to evade the question and slashed his blade through the air at Lavi. The redhead jumped back, much to the samurai's amusement. Kanda slid Mugen back into its sheath and extended a hand to Lavi. The redhead grasped it in a handshake, causing Kanda's glare to go positively icy.

"What?"

"Key."

"France, Yuu?"

"I'll kill you!" Kanda gave chase after the fleeing redhead, weapon drawn once more. Lavi was quick, though (much to Kanda's disappointment), and he evaded the first couple of slashes swiftly. Was it just the samurai, or did the months of him and Kanda chasing each other that made him so nimble? He seemed faster than the first time when the Japanese had slashed at him. Back then, it was Lenalee who had had to save the newly-arrived redhead.

"Calm down, Yuu!" Lavi flailed around, dodging. "I'll give you the key! Calm down! There's no need for violence, Yuu!" The redhead squeaked when Mugen slashed right next to his ear and then stilled as Kanda pressed the cold blade against his cheek. "Yuu?" Lavi questioned when the samurai was silent for a while. The longhaired man then opened his eyes further, showing the murderous intent clearly. He could feel the Finder flinching in the background. Lavi's eyes widened. He could feel the danger. He could feel Kanda's anger electrifying the air.

"Don't call me by my first name!" The samurai finally snapped and swung his sword horizontally, attempting to take the redhead's head off.

Bookman poured tea for the, finally calm (which the old man was very happy about), group. Kanda snorted at the tea, but upon further inspection, decided that he didn't mind it. Lavi was seated across from the angry samurai, thankfully intact. The young Finder that had met up with Kanda on the border of Spain and France, named Benjamin (idiotic newbie, in Kanda's opinion), was sitting next to the swordsman (and neither was too happy about it). Bookman lowered himself beside the only other Finder in the group, a middle aged man, all wrapped up in bandages. Kanda knew him. His name was Toma (wrapped bastard, in Kanda language).

"So, now that we are all gathered, can we begin?" Lavi grinned, his leg jumping up and down under the table. He was impatient and wanted to start the mission already. The Curandeiras were a mystery waiting to be uncovered. He couldn't wait to write something new in the books for a change. He somehow always seemed to read about different things. He read about what happened and what Bookman had experienced, but he hadn't had a chance to put a lot of things into the books himself.

Bookman sighed. "Patience, Lavi." He scolded in a flat voice and drank some tea. The redhead forced his leg to be still, but he didn't touch his cup. A clang was heard from across the table and Lavi's eyes snapped forward. Kanda looked pissed. Then again, Kanda always looked pissed. He had released Mugen and left it on the table, sheathed. The samurai next drank some tea, attempting to calm himself down. Somehow, whenever he relaxed, his thoughts would drift. Unfortunately, they always seemed to be occupied by a pair of bright, baby blue eyes. He hated it, so he focused on his anger. The irritation always helped him push away meaningless thoughts.

"Well, we don't know if the man is an Accommodator or not yet." Lavi said, fidgeting. Kanda focused on the Stupid Rabbit. It wasn't a hard thing to do. Just looking at the redhead made his blood boil. Irritating man.

"True. But, we haven't really had a chance to be close enough to determine that." Toma picked up easily. "The man is kept in the holy part of the city and they aren't allowing us to meet with him." Kanda snorted. He knew a way out of that problem. "I've done some investigating and gathered that his 'gift from God' has been passed down through his family. However the healer, Santos, is the first one in the family to become so famous in his craft."

"Che." Kanda commented, causing Toma to stop.

"What do you think, Yuu?" Lavi asked.

"We've all read the file, no need for repeats." Kanda glared across the table. "Call me by my first name once more and I will slice you up, Baka Usagi." Lavi smiled, safe because of the distance. Benjamin the Finder, however, jumped a bit, cowering in his chair. He was a bit too close to Kanda for his comfort.

"Don't be so mean, Yuu. Benji hasn't heard all the information!" Lavi whined childishly. Kanda gave him another glare. Benjamin leaned away from the samurai. Bookman cleared his throat. The old man had known that this group was going to be a problem.

"Che." Kanda countered. "He should've read it on the way here." The samurai's murderous stare moved to the Finder in question. The young man cowered.

"I'm sure that he couldn't really understand the file. It's his first mission, Yuu. You could've been more helpful." Lavi shot back readily. Bookman sipped his tea, ignoring the bickering duo. They weren't going anywhere for a while anyways. The Mayor wasn't letting them, the outsiders, into the holy quarter, hence, they couldn't investigate the case. He could allow the children to bicker for a while.

"It's not my fault that the idiotic newbie doesn't understand the file. It's not like he's going to live long to need the knowledge anyway. So, why should I even bother?" The samurai bit out angrily.

"Kanda!" Bookman interjected. The Exorcist had gone a bit too far.

"Che." Kanda looked to the Finder in question. He didn't really care what the young man had to say. Kanda had just expressed his opinion. He had that right. However, the look on the Finder's face made his stomach flip with guilt. The young man looked about ready to cry. Weak, Kanda thought. He pushed away from the table and stood, picking up his Mugen.

"The fact that you can't accept the truth is pathetic. You make my tea taste bad." With that, he left. Kanda caught Lavi's next words though. The Stupid Rabbit had apologized for the samurai's behavior. What a joke.

Kanda slammed the inn door behind himself. He was pissed. Weak people pissed him off. Finders pissed him off. Especially this one. The greenhorn didn't understand his job description. He didn't understand that at the end of the line, there was only one thing waiting for him. Death. Sooner or later it came for all of them. It was an inevitable thing. Especially for Finders. They weren't special. They were irrelevant. And Kanda. Kanda, too, was going to die. Today, tomorrow, someday for sure. He would die, too. And he wasn't going to let the dead follow him through his life, until he, too, was one of them. He would prefer to forget their names and faces. He already had enough ghosts on his conscience. He would be damned if he didn't find that woman, that ghost which kept him alive, before he died.

The ground shook beneath Kanda's feet. He stopped in his tracks, listening.

"Che." He exclaimed, hearing a telltale explosion. Damn Akuma. Mugen drawn, Kanda ran towards the sound, evading the people that were running away from the scene. He saw the blasts first. The purple and pink light shone as the Level Ones shot at the fleeing crowd. Kanda gripped his sword and took a leap up some crates. He landed on one of the roofs and kept running without pausing. He could feel his strained leg muscles healing as he did. Where was the Stupid Rabbit now?

Kanda reached the edge of the roof and timed his jump just right. Soon, he was flying down at the unsuspecting Level One, Mugen held high. A woman's scream rang through his head as he slashed down, crystal blue eyes the only thing in his vision.

A woman's scream rang out through the room as she trashed on the bed. The door to the room slammed open and another woman entered, tightening the navy silk robe around her to keep warm. She ran to the bed in a practiced motion and sat down, grabbing the flailing girl.

"Sasha! Sasha!" The brunette yelled, her curls jumping across her shoulders as the sleeping girl struggled. "Reveille-toi! Sasha!" She managed to shake the girl at some point and Sasha shot up, gasping. The screaming stopped.

Sasha's blue eyes were wide, terrified, looking around the room. She focused on the other woman, panting and shaking. "Annette." The blonde spoke. " _I'm awake. I'm fine._ " The girl spoke in French. The young mother pulled Sasha in for a hug, rocking her gently. She rubbed the girl's back, comforting her. Slowly, Sasha stopped shaking.

" _You're not fine. But, you will be. We all have bad dreams, Sasha._ " Annette soothed, noticing that the girl was calming down. Sasha suddenly froze. However, she relaxed again and gave a tiny nod.

" _Sorry I woke you._ " She mumbled into Annette's shoulder. The older woman chuckled.

" _It's quite alright._ " Slowly, Sasha pushed away, trying not to be rude. Annette gave her one more smile and then left, heading back to her bedroom. Once the door closed Sasha sighed. Her body relaxed and her smile fell. The girl pushed herself up and off the bed and then headed to the small closet in the corner. She ignored the way goose bumps appeared all over her body from the cold. She must've left the window partially open. The warm, wool nightgown (in royal green) reached her knees and had long sleeves. The cold didn't bother her too much. She needed something else.

The wooden door creaked when Sasha opened the closet. She rummaged through the dresses and skirts and dug out what she needed. When Sasha returned to her bed, she was carrying a small bundle in her arms. She slid under her blanket and pulled it up to her waist. Then, she spread the bundle, revealing the white scarf with green and gold carriage embroidery on the ends, and threw it around her shoulders. She pulled the soft material tight around her shoulders. The familiar smell flew into her nose and she gave a small smile.

It was the scent of fresh snow and daffodils. It reminded her of home. Sasha took another deep breath, pressing the fabric to her nose. She smiled to herself. The tremors were gone. She was fine now.

This wasn't the first night that she had woken up like this. It wasn't the first time she had shot up in bed, screaming. The horrible face was burned into the darkness that came whenever she closed her eyes. Those sad, haunting eyes were always waiting for her. She couldn't force the face away. She couldn't un-see the dark star in the middle of the monster's forehead. She just couldn't un-see the damn thing.

The Akuma that she had seen with the Exorcist wasn't the first one that she had faced. No, Sasha had seen those demons before. Not only during her travels, but back home, too, she had seen them. They came, seemingly out of nowhere, and they killed and killed. They spread pain, anguish and grief wherever they went. And they terrified Sasha.

She had learned how to defend herself on the street. She had learned how to kick and punch and survive. She had learned how to steal and climb. She had learned how to sleep with one eye open and how to walk soundlessly across rooftops. She had learned a lot. However, she could never learn how to get away from those damned things. She could never learn how to kill them. She could never learn how to be free of her fear. She knew that, any day, she could become that accidental hit on the street. She knew that she could die, vanish into dust, like the rest of their victims. And there wouldn't really be anyone to remember her.

People didn't die when they were killed. They died when they were forgotten.

Sasha didn't forget. She still tried to remember every single person that she had met in her life, good or bad. One of them could be out there, somewhere, dead and cold. She would remember. She wouldn't forget. She would carry them on. She was a survivor, after all. She had survived it all.

All except those demons. She didn't know how to face those. They followed her into her sleep almost every day. They had haunted her since she could remember. They were her greatest fear.

But, this man had come along, Yuu Kanda. The Exorcist. The Exorcist of the Black Order. A man from a Church that cursed like a sailor. Sasha had gone to church back in the day. She had believed in God. She had prayed. How could a man, employed by a church be so foul mouthed? So ill tempered? So prone to violence? She didn't know. But, she had seen the other side of him. She had seen the moment when he slayed the demon. The expression on his face was one of relief, like he was finally at peace as he sent the demon on its way. The Exorcist was a true mystery.

He was unnaturally stunning. True, he was handsome on the outside, girlish looking, even. But, he was beautiful on the inside. Sasha knew. She was good at reading people. Her life on the street had taught her. If you don't read someone correctly, they could kill you tomorrow. She had seen the way he interacted with people, the way he pushed them all away with anger and threats. She could see past that. On the inside, he was vulnerable. He relied on instinct and pushed the painful things away.

He was beautifully broken, just like her.

**That's all folks!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had less trouble writing Kanda then writing Sasha. Anyways, I hope you like her, I'm trying to portray how her past and present is, not make her a Mary Sue. Simply, the end of the 19th century wasn't too good to common people (or even some nobles) and I'm trying to paint that. I suppose that I'm using 'The House of Tolerance' as an inspiration a lot.
> 
> Peniche is an actual place in Portugal, I've never been, I merely chose it for the mission location :P I have no idea if it even existed in the 19th century xD Also, the information about Curandeiras is from the web, it seemed very interesting, so I tried to use it :)


	5. In which Kanda's world goes silent…

**Aloha! Enjoy peeps!**

**Chapter 5: In which Kanda's world goes silent…**

Kanda made quick work of the Level Ones. They weren't a problem for him. However, he could feel the wound on his shoulder stinging. He stifled a groan and walked on, heading towards the other explosions in the town. He had thought that he would be fine with the wound just closed. The healing was getting weaker and weaker. It was terribly annoying. Another blast came from the holy quarter and Kanda sped up. He wanted to get this over with. He wanted to sit in the bath for a while and just relax.

That would have to wait, though. One of the tall towers in Kanda's vision suddenly bent to the left and then went down, creating a cloud of smoke. The Exorcist almost gave a groan, but he sped up anyways. His legs were hurting. He had overdone it. The moon was high in the sky, lighting the old streets and alleys, so Kanda didn't have a lot of problems finding his way. The blood in his veins was singing, excited by the Akuma that were awaiting him. Mugen was almost pulsing in his grip. The Innocence knew that its enemies were close. It couldn't wait to free the trapped souls and send them on their way. The hunt was always a thrill for Kanda. The fight was a time when he truly felt alive.

The samurai rounded a corner and came to a stop. The street was empty and silent. Kanda took in the broken windows and the clothes strewn everywhere. The soft sea breeze carried the scent of ash and salt. Kanda grit his teeth, trying to block out the taste in his mouth. He was too late. He hated fighting in an area where it was breezy. His stomach lurched because he knew exactly what he was smelling and tasting. Mugen shined bright in the moonlight and Kanda furrowed his brows, listening. Where was the Akuma?

Muffled blasts rang through the background, but Kanda didn't move. He was the kind of person that trusted their instincts first, and then their senses. And, his blood was boiling, ringing. He couldn't walk away from here. There was still something here. He knew it. A swooshing sound came from behind him and Kanda whirled around just in time to block with his Mugen.

The Akuma was a Level Two. It was strangely shaped (like most Level Twos) and it had blades instead of each arm. One of them Kanda was blocking and the other one soon aimed at the swordsman's head. The Exorcist released an annoyed grunt, but he swiftly dodged. The Akuma may have blades, but it was slow. Well, to Kanda it was. It would've probably kicked Lavi's ass. Kanda smirked at the thought and jumped away, adjusting his grip on the sword.

"Exorcist!" The Akuma yelled, giving chase. Kanda was good at this game, though. Tag was his favorite. He changed directions in a second, cutting off the Level Two's next unintelligent words with his sword. The Akuma gave a bloodcurdling scream, but managed to get away with its life (or undeadedness?). One of the arm-blades clattered to the pavement, oily blood spilling everywhere.

Kanda gave a small laugh. "What good are those if you aren't able to use them?" He taunted the creature. He was tired. Obviously, this thing was stupid. The more he taunted it, the madder it would get and then it would become even more reckless. Killing it would be a walk in the park.

"Exorcist-sama! They sent me to-" Kanda's glare was positively murderous. He just couldn't believe it. He really couldn't. Was this guy an idiot? Or, did he have a death wish? If the Akuma didn't kill him, Kanda would. Yes, he really would.

The young Finder had stopped in his tracks and gone silent. He assessed the situation slowly. Well, too slowly. The Akuma grinned, identifying the weak link and flew at the unsuspecting man. Kanda cursed every single force in the heavens and ran after it. Well, at least the Finder had some sense still left in his idiotic brain cells.

Benjamin ran like hell was on his heels.

"Human! Wait, human!" The Level Two (with really low leveled vocabulary in Kanda's opinion) was grinning and yelling, giving chase. Its, now single (insert Kanda's self-satisfied smirk), blade was swishing left and right, ready to take off the Finder's head.

"Kanda-sama!" Benjamin yelled, running and panting. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Kanda was briefly confused, but then realized. The Finder was more afraid of him then of the Akuma. The samurai almost laughed. Almost. Well, that might save the young Finder's life in near future. Well, better save the fool, Kanda thought and pushed himself over his already surpassed limits.

Mugen rang through the air as he slashed down, nicking the fleeing Akuma. It screamed once again, the Innocence burning it, and turned to Kanda. Clings and clanks rang out through the air as they battled. Benjamin fell to his knees, exhausted. He watched the two battle it out in a blur of movements. It was amazing. Terrifying. Kanda was amazing. Benjamin had thought the young Exorcist to be all bark and no bite. But, this proved him wrong. The man was a true warrior.

With a loud and resounding clash of metal against metal the two flew apart. The Akuma sloppily slammed into a wall, breaking it down. Kanda, on the other hand, slid back, slowing his momentum with Mugen.

"Tch." The samurai grumbled and coughed. Some blood dribbled down his chin and it was getting more and more painful to breathe. Great. A broken rib, Kanda figured. This was going to be bothersome with his current healing speed. The Exorcist pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his injuries, old and new. He was going to take a break after this. No missions. Just baths and sleep and one of those head massages. No, no head massages. Fuck Sasha and her magic. She had done something to him, that cheeky whore.

The annoying newbie was saying something. Kanda couldn't hear it though. There was that annoying high C note ringing in his ears. Damn. He hadn't noticed that one. He had been too focused on the task in front of him. Kanda noticed the newbie coming closer, his lips still moving. The Finder was attempting to help him stay on his feet. When had he gone down to his knees? He didn't remember. All he could see was the ugly, lime colored Akuma with a single sharp blade on its limb. And it was getting up.

Kanda pushed the Finder away with a snort of anger. The dumb thing was getting in his way. He couldn't feel anything except his Innocence in his hand. It was hot, ringing, calling to the Akuma. He hadn't even felt the Finder's grip on his arm once more. No, he was merely feeling the blood boiling in his veins. He was ready.

The bladed Akuma flew at him, its mouth open. It was yelling, Kanda realized, but he couldn't hear it. Mugen flew up, receiving the attack skillfully. Kanda trembled a bit under the mere force of the strike. The Akuma wasn't that strong. But, he was injured and healing slowly. He was also the one receiving the blows. And, Kanda knew one thing. The best defense was a good offense.

Mugen slashed through the air once, twice and then a squelching sound rang out through the night air. Kanda watched as the Akuma exploded with a calm face. He was panting hard. His vision was swimming and getting blurrier by the minute. Kanda's head pounded as white and black spots appeared where they shouldn't be. A couple of blinks later, they were still multiplying and Kanda was getting annoyingly dizzy. His body was numb. At some point, he noticed that the scenery had changed. He wasn't looking at the same broken buildings. Now, they were strangely on the side. Like the world had been flipped. But, Kanda didn't care anymore. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and forget it all.

Sasha didn't sleep after the nightmares. She couldn't. She had managed to get out of bed, despite her fatigue, and get a quick shower. Monday night. That was the only night when the girls didn't work full time. Sure, some stayed and did their business. But, most went to see their families or they went to spend their money somewhere. Sasha did neither.

She had no family to go visit. Well, no close family. They had been killed a while back. Sasha had been young and naive then. She had led a good life, fairly sheltered. The things that she feared were the demons even back then. They were famous, after all. Fully obliterated towns and villages didn't go unnoticed. The Government of each country was well informed about the Earl and his ways. The Black Order was a well-funded and very famous institution, too. Where else would they get all that money then from the scared Governments attempting to prevent worldwide panic?

Sasha's father had been a man on a high position. He had been informed about the not-so-secret war between Akuma and Exorcists. And the blonde. Well, let's just say that she had been a very adventurous child. She had that knack for climbing things and finding nooks and crannies to hide in. It was on one of those days when she had been playing hide-and-seek by herself that she had heard more that she had bargained for. Pretty soon, the pictures that her father had shown to the room of men followed her into her dreams. She would wake up, screaming, terrified. She never told her sisters and mother what she had overheard. She couldn't really talk to her father either. Then, she would've been admitting to eavesdropping and that would've gotten her spanked. No, she had borne her cross alone.

Sasha had learned to live with her night terrors. Sometimes, they were bad. Horrible, leaving her scared of her own shadow during the day. And sometimes, she would go for months without dreaming about them. It was not like she saw those demons every day. No, the first time she saw them was in this strange little town in a Balkan country. They had come to take down an ancient church whose protector saint supposedly bled holy liquid, even after years of being dead.

Sasha had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. The monsters had come, destroying everything in their path. People had screamed and run around, as if headless, and children had cried for their mothers in the street. Sasha will never get those images out of her head. Sure, she had seen much worse, but this was just one of those images that you couldn't leave behind.

It was strange to the girl, how some people didn't even understand what Akuma were. She thought that if more people knew about their existence and origin, less demons would be made. Then again, she didn't really know the details. Sasha understood that there was a man that made those demons, for an unknown purpose. She had overheard that the Akuma were made from people grieving over their loved ones deaths. And, she knew that those creatures could never be undone, returning the original body owner to this world. Essentially, two people got killed to make a very miserable existence that lives to murder.

True, Sasha had considered bringing back her dear ones. Her precious family. Her elder sisters. She had loved all three of them dearly. Her mother, the kindest woman she ever knew. Her father, an honorable man, looking to do good in the world. And her dear little brother. She had been close to him. They had been the youngest in the family, hence, they had looked out for each other. Well, she had mostly looked out for him. Her brother had been terribly sick. Her mother hadn't wanted him to go out much, fearing that he would get hurt and suffer a terrible fate. He had been the sole heir of their family, after all. A single son after four daughters. He had been the precious baby of the family. Sasha still remembered climbing different trees to amuse her brother. She used to go up and refuse to get down, causing mayhem. The little boy had loved it. Of course, more than once, she got scolded and punished, but she still did it again. She had also played tricks on the guards and servants. She had pranked their visiting relatives and made smart comments any time she got. Sasha had loved the joy that would light her little brother's eyes whenever she did such things. Her mother had been adamant about disciplining it out of her at first. But, she had seen later what it did to help the bedridden boy. Her youngest child had reveled in each prank, so, after a while, the mother had allowed it (within limits, of course).

So, yes, Sasha missed her family. A lot. She hated how with time, their faces vanished slowly from her memory. She took out the single picture of them more than once a day. Just to see them. Just to remind herself. To see how much she resembled her siblings. Just to be at home, from time to time. She missed them. But, she wouldn't die for them, no matter how cruel that sounded. If she ever did choose to bring one back, as an Akuma, they would all be furious. No. They were dead. And the dead are supposed to stay that way. She wasn't God. She wouldn't dare tamper with such final things as life and death. They were there for a reason. That was one law that applied to all equally. They were all going to die.

Sasha had faced her mortality. She knew that life was fleeting and fragile. She was supposed to die with her family, after all. It had been a miracle that she had survived. In fact, most people still believed her dead. That's how it was supposed to be. She had been freed from one future by that tragedy, and now, she had a new shot at life. And here she was, trying to make it. She had become a prostitute and a thief. Her mother would've been ashamed.

Sasha snorted, banishing her thoughts. She buttoned up her coat and headed downstairs. After a small wave and goodbye to Annette (who was feeding her child on one of the couches) the blonde headed out. The cold was biting, despite the fact that the winter was almost over. Sasha didn't mind the cold. She had experienced the coldest of winters, after all. She liked the snow. It was so white, pure, sparkling and innocent. Snow reminded her of her childhood. The smell brought a smile to her face, taking her to the many snowball fights that she had had. Maybe that was why she loved that white scarf so much. It smelled like snow and daffodils.

She remembered the day that she had gotten it. Her mother had insisted that Sasha and her sisters learn how to cook, clean and sow. Even though her family was of high standing, she had grown up learning how to be a commoner and getting an education of a noblewoman. Sowing, knitting and embroidery had been a big part of Sasha's life. She had been horrible at it at first. She didn't have the necessary patience for such things. But, the beautiful golden and green carriages had been her first success. Sasha had found the pure white piece of fabric while playing in the snow one day. She had carried it home with her (much to her mother's displeasure) and then she had washed the dirty thing. After much grooming, her mother let the girl keep the runaway piece of fabric. The woman had seen a dirty, old, smelly rag in the beginning, but Sasha had managed to get it to become a pure white, soft and warm piece of fabric. There was no harm in letting the girl keep it. But, Sasha didn't stop there. She put all her pranks to a stop and made the piece of fabric into a long scarf. She then proceeded to stitch a beautiful design of horseless carriages into it, much to her mother's surprise. From there on, the scarf had been a favorite of the five siblings. They all bickered about who was going to wear it and when.

In the end, she had never left her scarf behind. That was one of the last mementos that she had of her home country and her family.

Kanda slowly came to. His first instinct was to take in his surroundings. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on the smells. There was a fresh, flowery note in the air along with some kind of food. Soup, Kanda guessed after a while. However, he couldn't hear a thing. That was strange. He was very receptive to sound. He was a trained swordsman. He needed to pick up the most silent of sounds as quickly as possible. They would (more often than sometimes) determine if he lived or died. But, there were none. He couldn't hear a damn thing.

Kanda felt his heart rate quicken and his breaths become short and ragged and then, his eyes shot open. The first thing that he saw was a pair of blue orbs, looking at him, waiting. His first reaction was to bring his weapon down on the person invading his personal bubble, but, he stopped. He remembered those eyes. The blue eyes that haunted him. He froze, heart and lungs going suddenly deathly calm.

She couldn't be here.

Kanda moved in a flash. He grasped the body leaned over him and flipped their positions. The scared Finder (now below him) stared up, waiting for Kanda to do something. The samurai merely kept his forearm at the young man's throat, panting and looking around, taking in the situation (spotting Mugen on the nightstand). The Finder's ears were moving, but Kanda couldn't hear a thing. Nothing. There was no sound. He could feel his old and new wounds stinging, hurting, but, he couldn't hear a damn thing. Fuck, Kanda thought, not really paying any attention to the man who he was holding pinned to the bed.

Then, there were arms grabbing his biceps and shoulders, dragging him back. Damn. He hadn't even noticed them come in. The Stupid Rabbit was ranting something, his mouth never stopped moving. Bookman, on the other hand, stayed silent. But, he did push Kanda down to the bed (once Lavi helped Benjamin escape the angry Exorcist), quite adamantly, too. One look at the old man told Kanda that he would not be wriggling out of this one so easily. Bookman gave him a meaningful glance and the samurai stayed down (much to everyone's amusement). He asked Kanda something and gave him another meaningful look when the man stayed silent.

"Che." Kanda exclaimed with practiced ease. He saw the Stupid Rabbit relax, saying something. Well, it wouldn't do good not to bring them up to speed on things, Kanda thought. "I can't hear a damn thing you're saying." The samurai clarified (and by the way they all flinched, he had been a bit too loud). Suddenly, Lavi was in his face, waving his hand around. Kanda gave him a death glare. "I'm not blind, Baka Usagi. I just can't hear anything." He pushed through his grit teeth icily, enjoying the way Lavi froze and backed away. Bookman hit the back of the redhead's head, saying something.

Then, it got pretty boring for Kanda. The two other Exorcists in the room were discussing something (probably his current state) and Toma joined them, too (he had come in a while back). Kanda gave up trying to read their lips. Well, at least the Stupid Rabbit had an arm in a sling. Kanda felt a rush of approval. He wasn't the only one injured. Briefly, he wondered if he had been the only one fighting against a Level Two. Probably, Kanda figured.

A gentle arm touched his shoulder and Kanda whirled his head to the side, ready to scold the cheeky whore about her touchy-feely ways. However, he didn't meet Sasha's bright blue eyes. These were a bit darker, but also a sky color. Yes, he had mistaken the annoying newbie for the cheeky whore at first. Kanda blamed it on his just-woke-up state. He glared at the Finder. The man looked determent, though, even though he gave a small shudder. He pushed something at Kanda that looked suspiciously like soup. Yes, he could smell it. But, the stubborn samurai didn't want the soup. He ate soba. He liked his soba. There was no need to eat the stupid soup. So, he turned his head away from the Finder, showing that he didn't want that.

Lavi and Bookman seemed to be arguing, and then the elder hit his successor over the head. Kanda snorted in amusement. He had always kind of liked the short old man. Especially when he hit the Stupid Rabbit. Suddenly, the young Finder beside Kanda stepped into the middle of the argument, yelling something. By the shocked faces in the room, he was stepping way out of line. A couple of tense moments passed before Bookman said something and then all of them except the newbie left. Kanda wasn't too happy about his (he wanted to be left alone), but he would live. The little thing was scared of him, after all.

However, the Finder sat on the edge of the bed and forced a bowl of soup into Kanda's hand. He didn't even flinch at the glare. The young Finder grabbed a pen and a note pad from the nightstand and started scribbling something quickly. When he was done, he looked up only to give Kanda his own glare because the soup was still untouched. The samurai felt a chill go down his spine. He raised the bowl to his lips and drank a little sip. Then another and another. He decided that he quite liked the soup.

When he looked back at the Finder, the man was smiling happily. He turned the pad around, showing Kanda the message. The samurai was a bit surprised to find it in simple Japanese hiragana, but he red it none the less. The grammar was a bit clumsy, but he got the meaning just fine.

**Good, isn't it?**

"Che." Kanda answered, not hearing his own voice. The damn Finder wanted him to praise the cooking. That was not happening. Ever.

**How are you feeling?**

Was the next message. Kanda glared at the text for a moment. He sipped some more soup and then gave a small nod of his head. He would be fine soon. The Finder seemed satisfied with the answer, because he started scribbling once again.

**You killed the Akuma, but you collapsed after that. It must have been the new and old wounds taking their toll on you. The Akuma had a poison in its blades, too. That's probably why you still can't hear. I couldn't for a while, either. But, you've been treated, it should go away soon enough.**

That made sense, Kanda figured. He took one more sip of the soup and was surprise when a piece of carrot hit his lips. He saw the Finder laugh at the face that he made and growled (even though his neck was slowly going red). The newbie wrote something again.

**The mission was a success. We have retrieved an Accommodator with his Innocence.**

Kanda's eyebrows shot up. He looked at the Finder with curious eyes, encouraging more information. The young Finder ripped the page away and scribbled again.

**Santos is a nice man. He has a parasitic Innocence in his fingers which allows him to 'reject' things such as injuries, bad energy or fatigue even. It takes a great toll on him to use it, so he mostly relies on pagan healing taught to him by his ancestors.**

Kanda read and gave a snort. Fascinating. A new one. There would be one more annoying bugger at the Order from then on. Like they didn't have enough already.

The rest of the trip was uneventful for Kanda. He couldn't hear, but he most certainly dished out insults left and right. He found out that the reason why he had survived the dangerous poison of the Akuma's blades was because of the young Finder. Apparently his father had been a medicine man and the young man had studied for a while under his old man before joining the Order. He had done everything by the book and minimized the damage of the drug. Frankly, Kanda would've liked being able to hear, but, if the alternative was dying, he was glad that he was alive. His healing always did have problems with more potent poisons, especially in high dosages. It reminded him that he was, in fact, human.

Santos was an annoying bugger indeed. Too honest and helpful. Talked about God nonstop as far as the Exorcist caught. He was glad that the poison had left him temporarily deaf. Kanda had been ordered to take the Accommodator back to Home, while Bookman and Lavi went on another mission straight away. Thankfully, they took Toma with them (Kanda wasn't too fond of the righteous Finder at the moment). However, that meant that the newbie went with him. The train ride had been hell for the grumpy Exorcist. He could see the Finder and the Portuguese healer talking, but he couldn't make out the words. He really should've invested more into his education. But, not everyone can be like Lavi (tons of languages, photographic memory plus lip reading). So, Kanda chilled out for the duration of the ride back. He mostly drifted in and out of sleep, feeling someone's warm touch on his arm, only to wake up and find that it was just a figment of his imagination. It had been surprising to say the least. It had been a long time since Kanda had last seen her amidst the lotuses. And, she had never touched him before. However, it wasn't the gentle scent of the lotus that followed him now. It was something else. Something sweeter. Much more green. Something cold and sweet. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't mind it one bit.

The canal that led to the Order was icy. It was snowing outside and the water was positively freezing. Kanda had huddled into the middle of the boat skillfully, leaving the Finder to row and the newbie healer to look around in wonder. The samurai's breath fogged as soon as it left his mouth and he tucked his hands further into his deep coat pockets. They were slowly going numb. The gondola slowed down and then stopped, letting the passengers exit. Kanda was the last to get off and he headed towards the warmth of the inside right away.

"Welcome home, Kanda-kun." Komui spoke as soon as Kanda burst into the building and the samurai successfully read the man's lips. The Supervisor was waiting for the new Exorcist to welcome him. Kanda didn't really want to know (nor did he care), but, he did give the Chinese man a small nod. Kanda respected Komui. True, the Supervisor was an annoying, sister complex, manic man, but, he was also on their side. The Chinese man had never done anything in the area of grey. He always did what was best for the Exorcists and the Finders, while also trying to respect their views and feelings. He treated them all like family, and Kanda respected that. Even though he has been tempted to kill the man many many times. Often rather painfully.

Kanda left in a hurry, leaving the new Exorcist to get acquainted with the crazy Supervisor. Good luck to him, Kanda thought cynically.

**That's all folks!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably see, I'm having a bit of fun with language differences and all that. Hehehe~
> 
> Also, I know that man is set in the fictional end of the 19th century, but I took some of the historically accurate information from the beginning of the 20th century and used it in this fic. If you can see which, you're welcome to guess. I'm not really going to name the names and all that, I'm just exploring my inspiration.
> 
> Also, the details about the Balkan country are accurate. I'm talking about an actual saint and about an actual country. So, yeah, I'm done now.


	6. In which Kanda suffers from nostalgia…

**Enjoy, you silent readers!**

**Chapter 6: In which Kanda suffers from nostalgia…**

It didn't take long for Kanda to get used to his new state. He found that he, in fact, preferred a silent world. Strange. He had thought that such a demise would bother him more. But, he liked not being able to hear the annoying chatter. He had never liked the pointless talk of the people in the cafeteria. They simply couldn't face the inevitable. Most of them were going to die in the war. Kanda wasn't trying to be cruel with his words. No, he was merely honest about his views.

So, now that he couldn't hear a thing, he realized that he could actually go to the cafeteria and not be bothered by their discussions about their brave and/or fallen comrades.

Well, Kanda was in blissful silence 24/7, which was mostly just fine in his opinion. It hadn't been that hard to hide his temporary deafness from everyone. On a nice day, he talked to two or three people maximum. So, since Lenalee was out on a mission and Lavi and Bookman already knew of his condition (not that they were there, anyways), Kanda was partially safe. He had seen Marie that (as soon as he came back) evening (the man had simply known right away that something was wrong) and the blind man had figured out the problem in seconds. Of course, Kanda didn't really worry about Marie telling anyone of the situation. The tall man knew him well. He figured that Kanda was ashamed of his demise and didn't want anyone to know about his temporary weakness.

On the other hand, Komui had been easy to deceive. Kanda simply gave a few 'che's and 'tch's and the Supervisor left him alone. Komui had met Kanda on a bad day one too many times to disregard the clear signs of the samurai's utter irritation. This all went in the Exorcist's favour. There had been only one glitch in his perfect plan. The Head Nurse. The woman was a demon in disguise. She always welcomed Kanda with smiles and open arms, but, he knew what waited behind all that. He had seen the horns practically sprout out of her head many times. Mostly, they had been directed at him.

So, naturally, the woman figured out Kanda's little problem on his third day back home. He had tried to sneak out of the hospital bed and go to the dojo to meditate. However, despite getting used to his new state fairly quickly, Kanda still subconsciously tried to rely on his hearing. It had been one of his primary senses, after all. The Head Nurse had come in just as he was pulling the sweater over his head, hair loose. He didn't turn around or flinch, which made her suspicious.

"Kanda?" She called out, testing her theory. He still didn't turn. A frown marred the woman's face and she walked forward carefully. The Exorcist didn't react. The Head Nurse reached him just as he was pulling his long hair out of the sweater collar. She placed a hand on his shoulder gently and wasn't too surprised when he jumped like he had been shot. Kanda whirled around, only to see the Head Nurse.

"Tch." Busted, he realized. Kanda looked to the side as the Head Nurse started yelling. At some point, she realized that he couldn't hear the lecture and grabbed his head so he would look at her lips. Kanda still swears that he saw the windows shaking from the woman's yelling.

Well, after that adventure, she ordered Kanda to stay in the medical ward where she could monitor his state. He, of course, did for the first couple of days, but then, he skilfully escaped. Most of his time was spent in the meditation part of his dojo. He would sit there for hours, trying to reawaken his hearing. Of course, that didn't happen. But, he still did it. His meals were eaten in silence, mostly alone. Sometimes Marie would join him, but he was also a silent man. Maybe that was why Kanda liked him? Kanda liked silent people. But, it was during those days of silence that the samurai realized just how lonely his existence was. He spent his days alone. He spent his time in silence, waiting for the next mission, for the next quest. And then, he would hit repeat on the movie, and do it all over again. The silence in his ears just made it that more obvious.

It was when Lenalee came back from her mission that Kanda got some semi-permanent company. The Chinese girl would find him, no matter where he went, and then she would write him tons of messages (she had heard from the Head Nurse about his condition, like most of the Order). Kanda didn't mind it. He liked Lenalee, even though she was annoying. She actually cared for him, and that gave her extra points in his eyes.

It was when Daisya returned that Kanda finally snapped and went on a rampage. He was so glad that Daisya and that Stupid Rabbit had never ganged up on him. But, after some threatening, a lot of chasing with Mugen and destroying quite a bit of Order property, Daisya was subdued. Kanda was glad that he was deaf when Komui gave his lecture. It had lasted for about an hour and a half, and it was mostly about 'irresponsibility' and 'reckless endangerment'. Kanda had put an end to it with one word 'Komurin.' Then, he had exited the Supervisor's office with a smirk, leaving everyone slack-jawed and asking about Komurin. Stupid robot. Thankfully, he had destroyed it straight away. Who knows how much damage it would've done. Komui had a tendency to recklessly build crap.

It took a painful week and a half for Kanda to hear a single sound. An annoying one, in his opinion. He had been training, eyes closed, attempting to hone his other senses when a yell (in the real world, merely a whisper in Kanda's) tickled his ear.

"Yuu!" The person yelled again and Kanda felt irritation spiking in him. Yes, he had missed this feeling. He hadn't had as many angry out outbursts as usual during his brief deafness. Maybe because he couldn't hear all the bullshit? He sure hoped that he would stay deaf, then.

"Yuuuuhuuuuu!" Was the next call, but from a different person. Kanda felt his grip on the practice sword tightening, but he didn't react. He swung forwards once more, pretending like he couldn't hear it. He wanted to know what they were going to say next. His left ear was still completely quiet. Annoying. But, since his hearing was reawakening in his right ear, he supposed that the other would soon follow. The young Finder had been right.

"Chopped hair Yuu!" The Stupid Rabbit was back. Kanda didn't manage to supress his reaction to this yell. He felt his vision go red and he closed his eyes, trying to calm down. No, he wouldn't react. He wanted to hear all of it. Yes, then he would chop them up. He would chase them all the way down to the cafeteria and slice them up there. Where everyone could see. Besides, it was easier to clean blood off of tiles then off of the wooden floor of the dojo.

"Are you sure this is safe?" One voice questioned. Yes, you should fear for your lives, Kanda thought.

"Yeah, he can't hear a thing. Deaf as a post." The Stupid Rabbit told everyone. Kanda could imagine the redhead boasting about his new hobby. "This may be the only chance for you to yell at Yuu and get away with it." And then the Stupid Rabbit laughed. Oh, he was last on Kanda's list. He would see all the carnage and imagine it done to him before the samurai chopped him up.

"Really?" There were at least four people there, including the Rabbit. It was going to be a great sport to chase them down.

"Truly and sincerely."

"Stupid Kandaaaaa! You're an asshooooole!" Well, what a brave soul that one was. Kanda supposed that he was a bit of an asshole from time to time. But, he was just the right amount of it, too. There was simply no need for him to deceive anyone with fake smiles. No, they have enough of that outside. He was content to be his happily irritated self at all times. Kanda had learned a long time ago not to care about what people thought of him.

"Yuuuuuuuuu!" Someone else yelled. That was it. He was done.

A snap rang out through the dojo when Kanda broke his practice sword in half.

Lenalee watched, worried, as Kanda ran beside her for the third time. There were a couple of guys from the Science department fleeing from him, led by Lavi. And Kanda looked ready to chop them up. He even had Mugen out.

"You think that they'd know better." Daisya was suddenly next to Lenalee shaking his head in disapproval. She gave him a confused look. "You only tease Kanda when you are sure that he can't catch you in the act." The male Exorcist grinned wide, his pointing finger up in the air, as if he was giving a lecture.

Lenalee giggled. Well, he probably had more practice than Lavi. The redhead was a fairly recent addition to their organization.

"If you say so." The Chinese girl gave another sweet smile. "They are coming this way, though. And Kanda isn't looking at them anymore." She told the unsuspecting Exorcist. Daisya whirled around and, true enough, there was a yelling and running Kanda, his murderous glare focused on him. Maybe he had finally seen that Daisya had dyed his towels pink? But, the Exorcist didn't stop to think about whys. He had found out over the years that it was better just to run. So he did.

It took one more month to convince the Head Nurse that Kanda was, in fact, fine and that he wouldn't go blind next. He had regained hearing in his left ear a couple of days after getting the right one working. Many times during his little problem he had thought about the young Finder that had practically saved his life. Embarrassing, but it was true. The newbie had, not only gotten him patched up, but he had made sure to find an antidote to the poison. He was the reason why Kanda could still do his job properly. His work would've been sloppy with deaf ears. True, the young Finder was also the reason of Kanda's many injuries, but not all of them. The Akuma would've nicked him with its blades one way or another. Kanda had simply had no wariness of the poisoned edge.

So, a month after Kanda regained his hearing, he was allowed to go on his first mission after the demise. With Lenalee. Well, he would take as good as he could get. He usually went on missions alone or with newbies. Komui knew Kanda's tendency to be hard on the new people, but the Supervisor also knew that Kanda had the highest rate of survived Exorcists. Simply, he was aware that if the newbie died he would have more work. And, contrary to the popular belief, Kanda wasn't a workaholic. He liked the peace and quiet much more than a regular Joe should. So, the samurai did everything in his power to bring the new Exorcists back. He was sentimental like that.

But, this time, Santos (the God-babbling newbie, Kanda had been right, he didn't shut up about God and his disciples or something), had hit it off with Lavi much better. So, Komui had sent the redhead with the Portuguese man, leaving Bookman to his records for once. That meant that Lenalee was partner-less, as she usually did missions with Lavi or Bookman. When Kanda asked for a mission (as he did every day after training) Komui saw a way out of the situation. He decided to entrust his precious sister to the grumpy samurai (and kill him if he tried anything). So, now, the Chinese girl and Kanda were meeting at the docks to go to Belgium and investigate the possibly-Innocence-caused phenomenon.

And she was late. Kanda kept tapping his foot, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Kanda. Nii-san was being ridiculous again." The Chinese girl told him, hopping onto the gondola. Kanda gave a small nod, but didn't otherwise engage. He remembered how Komui was whenever his sister went somewhere. It had been ages since the last time he had gone on a mission with Lenalee. She usually went either solo or with Lavi. Kanda simply wasn't used to the company of the sweet-natured girl on the gondola with him. Or the trouble that her brother presented.

"How are you feeling?" Lenalee attempted to make conversation as their Finder pushed the gondola forwards. "Is your hearing fine now?"

Kanda looked up at her. He had been too focused on his feet. Lenalee seemed a bit uncomfortable and a tad worried. He suppressed his irritation and gave her a small nod.

"It's been a month." Kanda said, as if it explained everything. "The Head Nurse cleared me." Now, that explained it fully. The girl laughed lightly.

"True, the Head Nurse wouldn't let you go into the field if you were injured." She looked down, avoiding his gaze. "Sorry." Kanda frowned.

"It's not your fault. Don't apologize for stupid reasons." Kanda tried to make his voice as gentle as possible. It still came out pretty harsh, though. He saw the girl flinch a bit. What had her so depressed? However, Lenalee suddenly looked up with a smile.

"Kanda's right, there's no need to be depressed over things I can't control!" She laughed a bit, but it still seemed forced. However, the rest of their ride was spent in Lenalee's chatter and Kanda's grunts of approval or disapproval.

He was simply glad that she hadn't cried.

The mission turned out to be a one-man job. It had been a walk in the park for the two skilled Exorcists, so they finished in record time. Three Level Ones later, an Innocence was secured and the two were heading towards the train station. Kanda ended up walking as close to the fragile-looking girl as possible, trying not to lose her in the quickly moving crowd. They managed to avoid the rush and get into another street. It was less populated and seemed more of a shopping place, rather than the busy one that they had been in up till then. Kanda couldn't see any carriages.

There were shops left and right, and Kanda slowed his pace down (begrudgingly) allowing the Chinese girl to look around. She stopped here and there, going near the windows, looking at different dresses and skirts. Pity, Kanda thought. Most of the time Exorcists wore their uniforms everywhere. Sure, when you got injured or sick, you wore some casual clothes. When you went to the town to shop, too. But, that was it. There had never been a need for fancy dresses or shoes. There was always a plain uniform waiting for the female Exorcist.

Kanda couldn't really relate, but he tried to understand to the best of his capabilities. He didn't really care for clothes. Tiedoll was the one who had bought most of Kanda's outfits. The General had some kind of fetish for dressing the samurai in native Asian clothing. So, Kanda didn't really own any fancy suits. Mostly, he went around in comfortable, but tight, shirts (they didn't hinder his movement while fighting) and skinny pants (he liked cotton, it didn't itch). Of course, various sweaters and over clothes were in his closet, too. He liked the elegant, open wool sweaters the best. They were warm and made him feel safe. At home. Yes, Kanda was irritated that Tiedoll always bought his clothes, but he didn't hate it.

A familiar scent suddenly tickled Kanda's nose and he whirled around, eyes wide, freezing in his spot. In the back of his mind, he was aware that Lenalee had, too, stopped and called his name gently. But, Kanda didn't react. He was looking around, searching for a mop of copper hair. It wasn't there. Why, he wondered. That was her smell. That was that woman's scent. He had never smelled it except on her. Kanda was painfully aware of his irritation boiling to the surface like hot lava.

"Kanda?" A small hand touched his bicep, trying to get him back down to earth. "Is everything alright?" Lenalee. Yes. Lenalee was there. Kanda turned to her, eyes still wide. He realized that he was holding his breath, trying to inhale even more of that scent and he forced himself to release it. The Chinese girl looked worried. Her eyes searched his, trying to read his emotions. But, Kanda was a bit too good at masking them.

"Do you smell that?" He barked, irritated with himself. He had lost control far too easily. Lenalee closed her eyes for a second, differentiating the scents in the air. She gave a small smile.

"You mean the daffodils?" The Chinese girl asked. "Over there." She pointed to Kanda's left. "That woman has them on display." Kanda turned, following the direction of her finger. Sure enough, there was an old woman sitting there, a stand full of flowers before her. Kanda moved unconsciously towards them, evading the rushing crowd. He closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to place the scent. A copper haired woman came to mind, but he couldn't place her. He couldn't see her face. Couldn't tell how he met her. Or, if he had ever met her. Another ghost.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Lenalee said, reminding Kanda of her presence. He turned to her, noticing that she was right next to him, bent down, smelling the flowers.

"Che." Was Kanda's usual reply. Lenalee didn't mind it. She was used to the grumpy man.

"What a lovely couple you are!" The old woman behind the counter remarked. She was looking at Kanda's hair. Maybe she was trying to determine his gender. He had been called a girl one too many times for his liking. "You may want to cut your hair a bit, young man." Kanda felt a volcano inside him explode.

"Oh, his hair is just fine, Ma'am. And, we aren't a couple." Lenalee saved the old woman, still sporting her polite smile.

"Let's go." Kanda growled, interrupting any further discussions. He grabbed Lenalee and tugged her towards the train station.

It seemed like ages since Kanda had last received a letter from the cheeky working girl. He was glad, because the mail-less state could mean that the Madam had forgotten all about him. There was also one more feeling in his stomach. One that he didn't want to admit existed. It was like a pit of darkness. It was that feeling that you got, when you were walking alone, when your throat simply closed up and your eyes stung like you were just going to break down and cry.

Kanda didn't cry. He wasn't weak. The absence of letters didn't make him sad. It didn't make him lonely. It's not like he had ever wanted them. In fact, he was quite happy to forget the Madam and her women. Kanda didn't like acquaintances. He didn't like ties. Especially when there were people on the other side. He simply didn't like people.

"Kanda-sama!" A very familiar voice called out to him and the samurai turned to glare at the blue eyes. The young Finder gave a small flinch, but his smile never faltered. "The Supervisor sent me to find you. You have a mission." Kanda looked over the Finder, searching for any clues of his untruthfulness. There were none.

"Che." The samurai abandoned his previous destination and headed towards the Supervisor's office (where Benjamin had come from). The newbie, of course, followed. With Kanda's brisk pace it didn't take them long to reach the room. The samurai was silent, and Benjamin knew that it was in his own best interest to stay as quiet as possible. He had heard of Kanda's reputation. The man simply didn't care for Finders. If he threatened his fellow Exorcists with his Innocence, who knew what he would do to a Finder?

Kanda burst into the office without knocking, the flustered Finder on his heels. Komui looked up from the many papers on his desk and gave the two a smile.

"There you are, Kanda-kun." The Supervisor spoke to the samurai casually. The young Finder was impressed. "You have a mission in France." Kanda felt his heart hit his skull as it jumped like an excited animal in his chest. He squished it down.

"Tch. You better have everything figured out this time. I don't like being stranded." He lashed at Komui, but the Chinese man didn't react to the harsh words. He simply gave another smile to Kanda.

"Everything has been set up. You will go to Paris by train and then proceed to the site of the Innocence phenomenon in the way you deem most appropriate. We have given you substantial funds for the trip and I expect some of them returned, Kanda-kun. We are a non-profit organization that relies heavily on investors, after all." Komui explained with a small sigh. He really wanted to provide for all of his people. But, between salaries and new projects, funding trips and stays, food and cleaning, he had his hands full with finance things.

He really couldn't magically make money, even though they were the darling organization of many Governments. Simply, when the economy was shaky, slowly wavering from its peak (partially because of wars, secret or not) the sponsors started drying up their steady flows of money. And, while the Order insignia got you far, it didn't get you everywhere. All of the Order members, volunteers or not, needed to have some funds on them when they went on missions. Komui was glad that he wasn't the one managing the finances of the Order, for one. They had a fairly capable Finance department, but they weren't magicians, either. They could only work with what they were given.

Kanda gave a nod. "When do I leave?" He didn't really get the whole finance thing. Well, he did on some level. But, Kanda had always been a part of the Order. He had never needed to work for his home and food. He had always had that. Money had been more of a pleasure, rather than a necessary thing in his life.

"As soon as you're packed." Kanda suppressed a snort. He was always packed to go. He was always ready. He was an Exorcist. Komui gave a small laugh.

"Good luck." With those words, he handed both Kanda and Benjamin a file and ushered them out of his office. They almost collided with Lavi and Lenalee who were entering.

"Che." Kanda remarked, pushing the Stupid Rabbit out of his way. Annoying little thing. It was common courtesy to let people exit before you came in. After giving Lenalee a glance (ignoring her polite smile), Kanda stormed down the hall. He heard the idiotic Finder apologize to Lavi and Lenalee behind him and then rushed footsteps alerted him to the fact that the young man was catching up to him.

This was going to be a real joy.

Paris in winter and Paris in spring were like two completely different cities. Kanda frowned as yet another mime attempted to pull him into his street act. Apparently, it was open artist season. On the ancient streets of the city, amongst the rushing people, there were street performers, left and right, showing off their talents. There were women and men, singing old chansons, hoping to get noticed by a scout. There were clowns with their animals, doing various tricks with a hat in front of them, counting each coin with a delighted eye. There were quite a few mimes, performing their acts, often pulling people from the crowd into their act, whether it was giving flowers to the ladies or making fun of the men. And, Kanda was apparently their favorite target. He swore that he was just going to slice up the next mime that looked at him.

"Kanda-sama, where are we going?" The Finder was even more annoying that Kanda had anticipated. Damn. He really needed to shake this one off. Especially if he saw one of Madam's girls. Yes, no one will find out about that. It must stay buried.

"Tch." The statement was followed with a low growl of warning from the Exorcist when the oblivious Finder opened his mouth once more. He wisely closed it without a sound. Kanda soon spotted his destination. He ducked under the small white curtain with Japanese kanji on it and entered the establishment. The Finder followed.

"Welcome!" An Asian girl (but not Japanese, to Kanda's disbelief) greeted them in perfect Japanese. "Vous avez une réservation?" She continued in French. Pity. He had almost enjoyed it. A glance to the Finder told him that the young man didn't speak French. Well. This was going to be a right blast. Why did Komui even send this guy with him?

"A table for two." Kanda shot back in Japanese. The girl looked surprised, but didn't comment anything. She motioned for them to stay there, and then left. Kanda still didn't understand why him speaking Japanese surprised people. He was Japanese. Wasn't it normal to speak your home county's language? It was for him. True, Japan hasn't been the best place to go to for the least three hundred years or so, but, its culture was still alive on the outside.

"Kanda-kun!" A short and plump Japanese man addressed the Exorcist. The 'welcome' girl was trotting behind him, looking confused and a tad worried.

"Makoto-san." Kanda gave the man a small nod of recognition. Makoto was a good man. A great chef when it came to his native cuisine. Kanda had been lucky to discover his restaurant by accident a few years ago, and he had been coming there ever since. It was a shame that the restaurant was in Paris, though.

"Come in! Come in!" Makoto waved Kanda and Benjamin in. The 'welcome' girl was left standing, staring at the duo as they followed the owner and head chef of the restaurant. They didn't look like VIPs to her. "You are here for a while this time? Eh?" Makoto didn't waste any time before interrogating Kanda. He showed them a comfortable table near the windows. Kanda settled down, not even looking at his mission companion.

"I'm looking for the best way to travel to Bellac." The Exorcist didn't pick up the menu. He simply ignored it. The young Finder opened his mouth, but then closed it. He didn't really know how to get to Bellac. Hell, he didn't even know where Bellac was.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I will ask around, eh?" And with that, Makoto left. Benjamin looked up at Kanda over his menu. He had understood the conversation in Japanese. The two had spoken fast, but the Finder had spent years studying the language.

"Kanda-sama." Benjamin spoke up cautiously. He received a questioning look (glare really). "We haven't ordered?" Yes, that was a question. Kanda snorted and gave a small shake of his head, not even bothering to answer.

There was silence for the next couple of minutes. It was rather awkward, if you asked Benjamin. But, the samurai was enjoying it. He liked silence, not really bothering to catch the muffled chatter or the sounds coming from the street. Besides, the fact that the Finder was fidgeting in his spot delighted him. True, he had flared his intent a tad, but not much. The young man shouldn't have even been able to sense it. But, he seemed to be more like an animal than like a human, reacting to things like aura. Interesting.

"Here you go!" Makoto was back, two more girls following him. They laid out a generous lunch in front of the duo. Upon seeing the various sushi, soba, ramen, udon and tempura, with various side dishes and rice, Benjamin's mouth watered and his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since that morning. "Enjoy!" Makoto told them, and retreated slowly. Kanda pulled the soba to him in a second and took his chopsticks.

The rest of the meal was spent in complete silence.

**That's all folks!**


	7. In which Kanda's nightmare comes to life…

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: In which Kanda's nightmare comes to life…**

Makoto turned out to be a dead end. The man didn't offer Kanda any information that could help him on the rest of his journey. The samurai wished that he had a more capable Finder with him. Then again, this newbie wasn't too bad. He was quiet, yet helpful when needed. Kanda could almost tolerate him. Keyword: Almost.

The young man was too irritating to be tolerated. He followed the Exorcist like a lost puppy. Kanda could feel the eyes staring about, taking everything in. But, he didn't ask a lot of questions. That gave him bonus points and brought him further up Kanda's 'able-to-tolerate' list.

The samurai separated people into two categories. Able to tolerate and kill in a painful way. Sure, there were some people in the gray zone, but, they weren't important. Those who were, they were on one of the lists. And for someone to go from one list to another. Well, that was troublesome. Especially since it was the kill-in-a-painful-way to able-to-tolerate transaction (as the former had always had a high number of names on it). That made Kanda doubt his selecting abilities. It presented a possibility of other names crossing and Kanda couldn't have that.

"Kanda-sama?" Speak of the devil. "Do you know that woman?" Kanda felt his blood go icy and his hands curled into painful fists. His head whipped around, ponytail flying, as he attempted to see who the young Finder was talking about. Sure enough, there was a blonde, waving at them from one of the street corners.

"Tch. Of course not, stupid newbie." The Exorcist growled, relaxing. It was just a random whore. It wasn't one of the Madam's girls. The pit that was in his stomach grew. It had been a close one. He needed to get out of the city. Now.

Thankfully, Makoto never charged him much. The old man felt that he had a connection of some sort with Kanda (which the samurai felt, too, but would deny with vigor if ever asked). This meant that Kanda's pocket was still heavy with his funds for the trip, and one of his hands was constantly on the money. Pickpockets were nasty creatures and Kanda had had a few run-ins with them in Paris, which had, of course, ended with the samurai threatening to kill the poor men.

"Mr. Samurai!" Kanda felt his blood go hot in excitement and then freeze in horror. No. Anyone but her. He ignored the call, even though he was pretty sure that he had started turning that way as soon as her voice had rang in his ears.

"Kanda-sama?" The Finder caught up to the samurai's brisk pace. "There is a woman-" But, Kanda snapped. He turned around, drawing Mugen in a second and placed it on the young man's throat, not drawing a single drop of blood. He watched as goosebumps rose on the skin all around his cool blade.

"Yes?" The samurai asked. He looked positively murderous, eyes narrowed, blade at the ready. The Finder gulped, not daring to move.

"Nothing, Exorcist-sama." He squeaked finally, the blade moving against his throat as he spoke.

"It better not be." With that Kanda moved Mugen away from the Finder and slid it into its sheath. Good. Now that that danger was gone, he could find a train.

"Are you lost, Mr. Samurai?" Fuck no. Why did she have to be so persistent? For someone as observant as she was, why couldn't she catch a hint? He did not want the Order to find out about his free-time activities. They couldn't find out. Oh, by the sweet heavens. He could almost see the Stupid Rabbit being all jealous and then teasing Kanda. He could see Lenalee's blushing, disappointed face. He could see Komui's teasing smirk. Daisya would become impossible. Marie. Oh God. No. No one will ever find out.

"Tch." Was Kanda's response. He was well aware of the fact that the Finder was watching silently, curious as hell. No. He would pretend not to know the damn whore!

Kanda whirled away, heading towards the train station (his hair and coat swished elegantly behind him). The Finder scrambled to follow, but, so did Sasha. She didn't seem one bit deterred by the samurai's reaction. In fact, she seemed amused.

"Have you been in the city for long?" She asked, smiling gently. The Finder was looking from her to the samurai in confusion. The prostitute didn't go away. She walked beside the Exorcist, as if they were equal. "I'd gladly show you a way to a warm bed." She even went so far as to loop her arm through Kanda's. Benjamin could swear that he saw the Devil then.

"I'll kill you!" Kanda yelled out, turning to her now. He drew his sword, heading for her. The woman moved back, giggling, but her hands never left the samurai's form.

"Please don't be too rough." Her smile turned coy and her tone was a bit too innocent. The Finder felt his face go red at her blunt implication. What he didn't see was that Kanda's ears and neck were doing the same.

"Don't worry. I'll send you straight to your grave." He whispered darkly, his blade pressing against her breasts where her heart was. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and hesitated. Suddenly, threatening her wasn't fun anymore. "Leave us alone." He told her calmly and sheathed his Mugen. Kanda turned back to the road and kept walking. The Finder stared in shock. Kanda, the Kanda, had just walked away from a confrontation. But then, the samurai stopped and turned around. He had a small smirk on his face. The prostitute that hadn't moved from her position gave him a curious look. "Have you ever heard of Bellac?" He asked her, his tone a bit too polite.

The girl seemed to think for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Oui. C'est une petite ville qui se trouve au Sud-Ouest. " She spoke. Kanda's smirk widened, despite not understanding every word.

"How much would you ask for to take us there and interpret along the way?" The samurai asked. Now, the girl frowned. "You don't seem too busy to me." After a moment of silence, where the two stared each other down and the Finder gaped, the girl smiled coyly once again. She walked forward, her royal green heels clicking delicately against the old cobblestones. She threw one hand over the samurai's shoulder, making him glare at her as she looped it behind his neck to touch his ponytail. With another smile she struggled to reach his ear (quite gracefully, too) and whispered something in it. The Finder stared in wonder as the woman pulled back, her fingers never still in the grumpy Exorcist's hair.

"Tch." Finally said Kanda and pulled away from her, heading in the direction of the train station. However, the girl caught his arm swiftly and pulled him in the other direction. She was smug.

"I have a faster way." She told him and looped her arm though his, leading him away from the trains. The newbie Finder gaped.

An Exorcist had just hired a whore right in front of his eyes. And, not just any Exorcist. Kanda.

It was a feeling that he couldn't quite describe. And, Kanda wasn't sure if he even wanted to go there. It was so strange. This woman, this whore, Sasha, she was like a déjà vu. And he knew that he had definitely not met her before. The samurai looked to the woman in question, taking in the subtle way that she flirted with the Finder while showing him the scenery. Another bump in the road tossed them up and down. Kanda didn't complain. Travelling by train was faster, but, Sasha had explained how it didn't stop in the small place that they were heading to. Instead, she made them stop the milk man and ask him for a ride (more like let her flirt a ride out of him). Now, they were in the back of his wooden cart, pulled by a donkey, with tons and tons of cheese. Kanda decided after two hours that he hated cheese and would never, ever, eat it again.

Sasha looked at him and gave him a bright smile, causing him to glare. Why the hell was she so happy? She had gotten so close to him, touched him so intimately, in front of an Order member. He didn't mind it when they were out of sight. He didn't really care. Her touch was soothing in a way. Non-intrusive. More like she was trying to get to know him, rather than push her way through to him. She was gentle, calm and comforting. That was a combination that Kanda wasn't used to. No, he was used to the Order members. Quick to anger and quick to die. Sasha was an enigma. A mystery.

He had noticed the scent, though. Daffodils, Lenalee had called them. The prostitute smelled of them. When she had pushed herself against Kanda, whispered in his ear, he had been engulfed in her scent. He had flashed back to seeing her after her bath. It was strange to him, how this woman was so comfortable with herself. How she could simply flaunt her body, like it was nothing. Throw it at any man. It disgusted him. Yet, he found himself at ease whenever a gust of wind blew the scent of daffodils to his nose.

Sasha stopped talking to the milk man for a moment (flirting more like it) caught his eye and waved at him from her seat, making him quickly look away. She laughed. The cheeky woman laughed at him. Kanda felt his teeth gritting, but didn't do anything.

"Exorcist-sama?" The Finder called out, making Kanda's glare turn to him. He flinched. Good, he should. Kanda almost smiled at the thought. "Are you certain that listening to this woman is the best way to get to Bellac, sir?" The Finder continued. The samurai felt his patience wearing thin.

"Tch." He grumbled, looking about the scenery. They were in a middle of a field, nothing but road and grass for miles. "I don't see you making our situation any easier with your knowledge of the country." He remarked, causing the Finder to avert his eyes. "Or the language."

Sasha laughed, suddenly plopping next to the Exorcist. He averted his eyes awkwardly when her royal green skirt rode up, giving him a flash of her pale flesh. She smirked at him knowingly and got a signature 'che' in return.

"It doesn't matter if he knows our language or not!" She objected to Kanda's cruel words with that same knowing smirk. He turned away. He didn't like that smile. He didn't like the way she looked at him when she smiled. Her eyes were knowing. All too knowing. "We speak a different language here, my dear." Sasha continued, sliding into place next to the newbie. His face instantly went red, and he began fiddling with the edge of his Finder cloak.

"Ah, Miss, I don't know." He stammered. "Exorcist-sama is probably right. I am quite useless, you see." He looked to the ground, not daring to meet the samurai's eyes. He could feel the heat of the glare. The woman next to him placed her bare hand on his and he instantly focused back on her. There was no way that you couldn't. She was wearing a rather tight black and golden corset that accented her curves and the Finder found himself unable to look back at her face, despite the fact that he really wanted to.

"You are only useless when you think you are." Sasha told him, her voice somehow distant and solemn. Benjamin instantly found himself free of her spell and able to look into her blue eyes once more. She wasn't seducing him anymore. Now, she was simply holding his hand gently, telling him that she had felt that. With a soft smile, one so unlike the knowing smirk that he had become accustomed to seeing on her face, the woman caressed his hand. "You choose, do you want to be looked down upon for your faults, or do you want to become known for your strengths?" It was somehow a silent question, yet a statement, too.

"I don't know, Miss." The Finder replied, now looking at her. He seemed surprised that a common whore was that wise. Kanda grunted in a laugh. When the two looked at him, he was sneering.

"It doesn't matter, strengths or values, he's going to die just like the rest of them." The samurai's words were as sharp as his blade. Sasha flinched, but then smiled once again, kindly.

"We will all die, Mr. Samurai." She moved towards him again, smile becoming a smirk. "Maybe-" She trailed off, catching a piece of his hair with her fingers and rolling it in amusement. "-we should simply have fun until then?" Her smile spoke volumes, causing Kanda's ears and neck to go delicately red. The Finder quickly averted his eyes, glad that the woman's attention was once again not on him. He didn't know how to deal with her. He was a man of the church. Prostitutes were a thing that he didn't tangle with. Simply, they were sinners.

Her shameless flaunting of her profession was both tempting and disgusting. She was both loving and devious. She was a whore, realized the Finder, attempting to push the image of her breasts out of his mind, but couldn't. They had been so soft, so pale and round, right there in front of him. And, for the right amount, they would've been his. No. Benjamin shook his head. She was a prostitute. And, above all, she was a woman. A human. A person, just like him. She deserved respect. With that, the Finder steeled his mind. If Kanda could withstand this woman's charm, so could he.

Looking up, he saw the Sasha practically in Kanda's lap, pulling his hair and teasing him, while he was trying to defend by holding her back with Mugen (which seemed to have little effect on her). Maybe this woman wasn't that bad at all, he thought, looking at her bright smile as Kanda's ears went an impressive shade of red.

The town of Bellac was a classical French small town. To Sasha, it was something that she had seen before and gotten used to. To Kanda, it was just another place where he had come to hunt Akuma. To Benjamin, it was another corner of the City of Love.

The cobblestone streets were filled with people, rushing left and right, going from one cute shop to another. Some were yelling in French, some were singing chansons. There were couples sitting and talking, some kissing, some giggling at an unheard joke. Kanda grinned darkly on the inside. There were no mimes.

However, the part that was the most confusing was the absence of Akuma. There was no disturbance. There were no recent funerals once they asked around. There was no disaster. They couldn't find an 'unexplained phenomenon'. So, the trio settled down at an ice-cream parlor, indulging, much to Kanda's annoyance. Apparently, Sasha had opted to introduce something called ballot voting to their group which had put the samurai in a bind. Since there were three of them, the other two could always win the argument, as they mostly ganged up. True, Kanda could chop them up, but that would leave him without a guide and a newbie. Both were bad.

Losing a newbie would get him an earful from Komui, so he tended to try and keep them alive. And, being in France without a guide meant that he could end up in the red light district once more, since he had rotten luck like that. He most certainly did not want to get indebted to another Madam and have to go and solve her problems, too. In fact, one was quite enough. Though, killing Sasha wouldn't please him. When the samurai thought about it, she had more benefits than bad sides. She spoke both English and French (and probably some more languages), which was always a plus for him. Her services weren't that expensive and he could spare some money on her, if he got a capable guide through France. In fact, the street-smart working girl was probably the best Finder that one could employ. Or, in this case, pay less for the same services.

Kanda threw a look at her, suddenly getting a rather devilish idea. She was laughing with the newbie Finder. She looked genuinely happy. If he changed her clothing a tiny bit, just to cover a bit more, she would pass for a regular girl on the street. A man passed by, whistling at the strawberry blonde. She immediately quieted, as if she had been whipped.

"Oh la la!~" Exclaimed the passing man, stopping. His mates whistled in the background. He rambled off in French, something that Kanda didn't catch and would be able to understand even if he did. He watched Sasha's face carefully, though. He could see the change in her eyes at the man's words. It was like something fell over her face. Suddenly, there were none of those pure emotions from a second ago left. She raised her eyes to the man, a smirk on her face and leaned in, telling him something quietly in his ear. Kanda saw the way the man was eyeing her breasts and something in him snapped.

This wasn't silly newbie Finder who would chicken out from paying the girl to sleep with him. No, this was a customer. One that she had had the audacity to pick up right in front of him, in the middle of the street. Kanda jumped up, his chair clanking against the floor. Benjamin fell off his chair, moving as far back as he could as he saw the next thing happen almost in slow motion.

"うせろ." Kanda was suddenly right next to the surprised French man, Mugen out and on his neck. The Exorcist meant business. His dark eyes were icy. He had switched to his native language in his rage, not thinking that only Benjamin actually spoke (attempted to) it. Sasha was frozen, too, her hands caught in one of Kanda's. There was a moment of tense silence where everyone watched, as if time had stopped, what the insane foreigner was going to do next. Then, the French guy almost fell back, fear finally allowing him to move. He ran off with his cronies, leaving an unsatisfied Kanda and a cheering crowd.

Sasha fell back into her chair once Kanda released her, eyes glued to the samurai. She had known him to be fierce. She had known him to be strong. He was an Exorcist. He fought those terrors. Those demons. With a shiver Sasha realized that she couldn't move. She was terrified of him. There was something so pure in the air. Pure and electric. His rage was deliciously terrifying. She felt warmth pool in all the wrong places and settled for rubbing her legs together to ease the dull burn. She would never deny that he was the most terrifying and the most beautiful man that she had ever seen.

"You." The samurai growled. He put Mugen back into its sheath and grabbed Sasha by her scarf in a practiced motion (Lavi wore a scarf, too and he had caught that rabbit one too many times). "You." He growled again and she paled. She actually paled. There was no smirk this time. There was no hidden cheek. There was no playful flirting. He was mad as hell, and she knew it. "When you're with me, paid for, you're my whore." He let her go and she slumped back once again, her back hitting the chair numbly.

"Kanda-sama!" Benjamin suddenly gathered his courage and objected. However, the samurai simply gave him a glare and a short 'che' ignoring the objection. The Finder continued, though. "You can't talk like that to Miss Sasha! She's a lady!" Kanda snorted, about to speak up, when Sasha interrupted.

"You're wrong, Benjamin." Her voice was somehow tired, small. Kanda felt a pang of guilt, but pushed it away easily. Somehow, he always felt those troublesome things around her. Sasha was an enigma. An annoying enigma. But, not like this. Like this, she was just another pitiful human waiting to die. "I'm no lady." She told the Finder, her grin becoming cheeky once again. No, not the playful kind of cheeky that the samurai had gotten used to seeing on her face. It became the self-pitying cheeky kind. "I'm a whore." She told the gaping Finder, leaving him wide-eyed and shocked. With a smile, she slowly licked the remaining of her ice-cream while watching Benjamin. She did it slowly, making sure to show her talent with her tongue and then dropped the spoon back down into the glass bowl. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

There was a moment of silence where the group stood still. Benjamin was too shocked to speak. Kanda was too stubborn to open his mouth. And, Sasha was in her own land of self-pity. Then, someone spoke from the crowd.

"You three!" The turned to see a middle-aged man. He was in work clothes, which were patched up in a couple of places, stained from working in the field. He was sporting a wide brimmed hat, but his cheeks were red from the sun, regardless. "Are you from the L'Eglise?" Asked the man in very accented English. However, it was understandable, causing Benjamin to hurry to the railing of the ice-cream parlor and answer hurriedly.

"Yes, sir!" The Finder didn't like the way that Sasha and Kanda had been looking at each other. Obviously, he had been mistaken when thinking that they had just met the woman in Paris. There was something else there. Something that he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. Knowing Kanda, it might actually get him killed.

It took a couple of minutes and some of Sasha's translating to realize that this was their employer.

That evening the man, Phillipe, let them stay at his house. He had a wife, but no children, so they had some space for the three people. Unfortunately, that meant that all three of them were sharing one room. Kanda and Sasha weren't really bothered by that, she was a working girl and he had already seen her naked (hence, he believed that there was nothing that could bother him anymore), but Benjamin wasn't going to settle down. He had kept talking about Sasha being a lady and how it wasn't proper. In the end, the girl had ended up asking their host if he could allow her to sleep in the stables. Phillipe had reluctantly agreed, showing her where the horses were. Benjamin had spent the remainder of the evening moping. That hadn't gone in a way that he had wanted it to go.

"Tell me more about this 'strange phenomenon'." Demanded Kanda after dinner. They were all sitting at the kitchen table, as the women cleaned up. Phillipe's wife Adrienne had asked them if they were allowed to drink wine, as they were from a church, after all. Benjamin had accepted half a glass, while Sasha took a whole one and Kanda completely declined. The girl was still translating between languages, though, no matter the drinking.

"It is the bridge that is the problem." Translated Sasha. "There is a silhouette that appears there, waiting. It sits on the edge of the bridge and watches. When someone nears it, it asks 'are you her?' and then, no matter the answer, throws the person overboard." Sasha paused, listening to the rest if the story. "None of the people that fell into the water have come back. The townspeople searched and searched for them, but there was nothing in the river. No living, no wounded, no dead bodies."

Kanda seemed to be thinking about the information for a bit. The newbie Finder was shivering. This didn't sound like an Innocence phenomenon to him. It sounded like a ghost story! Shivering once more, he moved closer to the Exorcist unconsciously. Despite the fact that Kanda was rather unfriendly (a true assbutt all the way), he was reliable in these situation. After all, the stoic samurai was brave. Then, something happened that sent all of Benjamin's nightmares into overdrive.

"And when does this 'ghost' appear?" Asked Kanda with a sarcastic tone (which impressed Sasha, even though she didn't show it). Phillipe answered once the woman translated.

"At witching hour." Benjamin fell off his chair for the second time that day, however this time, unconscious. Kanda grinned happily. Sasha shuddered at the very idea.

"We better hurry, then." The samurai told her, his blood singing at the thought of a fight. "We have an urgent date with a specter."

**That's all folks!**

**Kanda says:** **うせろ** **(usero) which means 'Get lost' to the French men up there :D**


	8. In which Kanda goes for a swim...

**I was actually listening to Evanescence as I wrote this (Eternal and Lacrymosa)**

**Well enough stalling, enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: In which Kanda goes for a swim...**

It was raining.

Sasha was on the verge of taking off her scarf and just strangling the stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Exorcist in front of her. Phillipe had offered them lodging for the night. Adrienne, his wife, had been kind enough to lend her some 'more appropriate' clothes for sleeping. They had given them dinner and prepared a warm place for them to sleep. But, no. Noooooo. The dumb Asian was being his stubborn, workaholic self. Hence, they were now away from the warm and welcoming house (and its polite and nice owners), tracking through the mud towards the 'haunted' bridge.

Sasha was freezing.

The weather had done a full 180 degrees, from a nice, warm and breezy day, to a cold, dark night accompanied by icy rain. Sasha was pretty sure that she looked like a drowned rat. Her reddish hair had gone limp with water, and the curls (which she had made that morning specifically for work) were nowhere to be seen. Her make-up (which Odette had been adamant about, as usual) was running down her face. The dress had gone from royal green to a strange, murky color in the disgusting mud. The lovely shoes that she had bought (swindled) in Germany some time ago were now ruined. But, that was all child's play compared to the fact that her beautiful, favorite white scarf was now soaking and smelled like a dog.

Her treasure smelled like a wet dog.

Sasha didn't know how, or why, or when, but when she had raised her scarf to her nose to inhale the comforting smell, she had quickly dropped it once more. Now, it hung limply from her neck, its former fluffiness gone, and Sasha didn't reach for it again. She would wash it when she got back to the brothel. She would wash it many, many times.

However, what brought the onslaught of anger (and let's face it, Sasha didn't get angry too often, because it could get her killed easily) was the fact that the annoying samurai who was walking in front of her looked just as fine as he had before the downpour. Even his stupid hair was perfect.

"Miss Sasha, would you like my coat?!" Benjamin's voice came over the thunder and rain. The young woman looked to her right to see him struggling against the rain to follow Kanda. The Finder had his usual beige coat on, which kept him warm. His hand was raised, shielding his eyes from the rain. "It must be freezing in that dress!"

Sasha smiled, despite the horrible circumstances. Bless him, the kind man. She had wrapped the white scarf around her shoulders and allowed it to cover her almost bare back some time ago. It was soaking and smelled like a dog, but, she had been though worse. In fact, she was used to living conditions like this. She just pitied all the money that was being thrown away on her clothing. She knew very well that there was no going back from the muddy state of the silk dress. It was ruined.

"Thank you! But, I'm fine!" She yelled back as another thunder crashed around them. The Exorcist hadn't turned the whole way that they walked. Sasha snorted and pushed herself forward. The heel of her shoe slipped on a rock and she splashed down into a muddy puddle. She could feel her knee stinging where she had scratched it on the hard surface of the stone. Apparently, the time that she had spent working for the Madam had softened her. She used to have a higher tolerance to pain.

Strong arms grabbed Sasha and pulled her up. "Are you alright, Miss Sasha?!" She managed a frozen nod. "Please go back to the house!" Benjamin yelled out, his arms the only thing holding her upright. Sasha was freezing, her whole body was shaking and her soaked corset was digging painfully into her ribs. She just wanted to be back in Phillipe's house, take a scorching shower and then snuggle into the warm hay in the stables. She really had gone soft.

Gritting her chattering teeth, Sasha looked to Benjamin and managed another weak smile. "Phillipe said that it's not that far away!" She yelled over the noise. The Exorcist was getting smaller and smaller in the distance. "I'll be fine!" But, as they pushed on, she didn't let go of the Finder's arm.

Sasha considered money a binding contract. If you had money, you could basically have anything these days. Maybe it was because her family had been rather rich? Maybe it was because she had gone from silver and gold to nothing in a single day? But, the young woman considered that once she was paid to do something, she should see it done. The Exorcist had generously paid for her services. And, she had been nothing but trouble. She had teased him mercilessly on the way (in front of his coworker) and had gotten him into a fight with the locals, as well. Then again, he had initiated that one himself.

Sasha was pretty good at telling men apart. There were two groups: those who considered working girls trash and those who didn't. But, the samurai was quite peculiar. She couldn't tell with him. He seemed to hate everything equally, which baffled the young woman. At times, he would become angered and yell or threaten her, but he never looked at her that way.

She hated that look that men sometimes used. It was the one that made you feel like used goods. Sasha could stand the ones that regarded her as a piece of meat. She didn't mind that. Well, she had at first, but her limits had been stretched far and wide in the recent years. It was the one that made her feel like a lesser person, like trash, that truly made her hate herself. And, even if she didn't perform the usual services of her occupation in 'Les belles nuits' often, the men still looked at her like that. Like she was second best. Not even a person.

Sasha could still remember all the customers that hadn't done that. She could remember the ones that didn't try and feel her up as she served them a drink. She remembered the ones that had thanked her for speaking their native language with them. She liked to remember the good in people, despite the darkness that often surrounded her. She liked to think that there was always light in the pitch black, and that no evil was too great to overcome. She was a fool and she knew it.

Hence, she remembered the samurai. A rare man that hadn't come to a brothel to sleep with a woman. Someone who had looked at her with anger, but not objectified her. He didn't hate her for her current occupation of a prostitute, he hated her for her actions as a person. Sasha could take that. She would take that any day over being despised for doing what she had to to survive.

And this man, who hadn't needed to pay for her time (as the Madam was a supporter of L'Eglise), had done just that. He had bound her with a money contract, relieving her from selling anything she could to pay her part of the work for the Madam. He hadn't let her enter that dark room in her mind, the one that she always did, as the men, whose faces she didn't bother remembering, did what they wanted to her body. He didn't allow for her to scrub herself raw in an attempt to wash off their touch and kisses, and simply feel like Sasha the street rat again.

She was grateful to him on a level that he would never understand and probably never know.

The Finder stopped, causing Sasha to halt as well. Through the rain, she could see the shape of the bridge in the distance. The Exorcist was a small figure by then, already near the bank of the raging river. With a bout of strength that Sasha didn't know she possessed, she pushed her tired body forward.

"Just a little further!" Yelled Benjamin, encouraging her. He seemed to have no problems walking in the rough terrain during the downpour. Though work that they did in L'Eglise. Sasha nodded, teeth chattering. In a few minutes, they reached the stoic samurai who was staring at the bridge with a frown. It was a medium sized crossing, made entirely of stone, and Sasha would be willing to bet that it was beautiful during the day. However, then, at almost midnight, in a violent storm, it looked as haunted as a bridge could.

"What's the matter?!" Sasha yelled over the rain to their stubborn 'leader'. He didn't even glance at her. She was pretty sure that he had let out one of those 'Tch' and 'Che' noises of annoyance that he usually did. She simply couldn't hear them over the thundering rain and the rushing river. Not like he was trying to be heard, either. However, Benjamin answered for the samurai.

"Now we wait!"

An hour later, the rain had slowly receded. Not stopped completely, but, the small group was able to speak normally once more. At least, two of them were. Kanda was still glaring at the old bridge as if that would make their ghost appear. He occasionally glanced at his golem, reading the time. Midnight had come and gone. It wasn't happening and he was getting more and more irritated.

There were a few points that were making him angry. Because, contrary to the popular belief of Black Order members, Kanda was not, in fact, always mad. He was more than often in a neutral mood. But, there were things that simply tipped his metaphorical cup (which wasn't very stable) over. Things like rabbits, supervisors, newbies, bogus missions, Finders, rabbits, squealing women, small children, rabbits, teamwork, a large number of sweet things, Exorcists, rabbits, etc. A fairly recent addition to his mental list of all-things-that-annoy-me (which was quite long and whenever he went over it new things popped up and old vanished) was a certain strawberry blonde.

Kanda took pride in keeping his cool (at least he thought that he kept his cool). However, the woman was an equal amount of annoying and intriguing. While she was a prostitute with no shame, she was also often this well-educated, wise person. And he couldn't connect the two. Well, back to his tipping cup. She had been complaining. For the past hour and a half. He had told her to stay at the house and rest. She was technically a civilian. Paid by him to help out or not, she wasn't a member of the Order and had no business meddling in their work. She had no reason to risk her pitiful life for their cause. So, why was she?

In Kanda's opinion, Sasha (yes, he remembered her name and would never admit it) had done her job. She had translated, led them here, told them all the ways of cheap travel and lodging, so, why was she tagging along? The only thing that Kanda could come up with was that she wanted to be a hero. Being stupidly brave got you killed. He knew that. He had seen one too many Exorcists die.

There was a reason why Komui assigned all the rookies to Kanda. The samurai brought them back alive. For the first couple of missions. Then, they would go off on their own and get killed. This woman was doing that in his eyes. She was willing to be a 'savior' for her country and some unknown kind people. Kanda despised martyrs with a special kind of passion.

That was one of the reasons why he was beginning to plan her death in his head. And this was another.

"My toes are freezing." Sasha informed them, moving about in the mud and causing it to get onto Kanda's (surprisingly clean) coat. "Sorry." Then, she sneezed. Loudly. He was pretty sure that she was scaring away his specter. "I can feel my grandchildren freezing in my womb." She murmured. "Why couldn't we have done this tomorrow?"

She was talking to him, Kanda knew it. He had insisted on finishing the mission as fast as possible. Frankly, he was terrified of her mouth. With a slip of her tongue, his whole life as Kanda the Devil (just one of the lovely nicknames he had) would be over. He would become known as Kanda The Man Who Slept Alone In A Brothel and become ridiculed. In fact, there was another thing that worried him. The Order was quite religious. They were based around a church, after all. So, even though Kanda didn't care much for religion (he wasn't too openly atheist, just slightly when prodded too much), the rest of the Order would care very much about the fact that he was in league with the Red Light district. Sure, there was always Cross Marian, as a perfect example of deviation. But, the General was a special case, and Kanda knew that very well.

"Look on the bright side, Miss Sasha." The newbie Finder spoke up. Yes, the one that didn't speak French and didn't know how to get about the country that they were in. That Finder. Kanda tried to block out their conversation. "As soon as we are done with the mission, we can go home!" He happily provided, causing Kanda's frown to deepen. Sure, the two of them were going Home, to the headquarters. But, where was this woman going? She was going back to the dirty men that saw her as an object to use for their pleasure. Kanda felt the hand on his katana tighten involuntarily.

Why did he care?

He had never cared about a prostitute before. But, this wasn't just any working girl. This was Sasha, the woman that had teased him mercilessly and told him that he was astonishingly beautiful in a span of an hour. She was the woman whose scent he remembered. He was someone who touched him without intrusion. She was a broken girl, turned woman an age too soon, with a suffering soul. He would know.

He had scrubbed himself raw before, trying to erase his sins and memories as well.

But, the blood on his hands seemed to stick like glue. And the woman from his dream seemed further with each day that he lived on this miserable earth. And now, he found himself comparing his situation to one of a prostitute he had briefly met? How the mighty have fallen.

With a sigh, Kanda untied the Mugen off of his belt and tossed it to the girl. With surprising reflexes, Sasha caught it. Well, she probably had been a pickpocket on the streets in the early days. She clutched it close, he noticed, like she knew how precious it was to him. Kanda couldn't help but memorize how the exposed flesh of her breasts, icy from the rain and full of goose bumps, pressed against his Innocence, making its dark, elegant sheath stand out. In a fluid motion, he took off his coat and threw it at her, as well. Then, he reached for his sword.

"Mr. Samurai-" Sasha began before the coat hit her in the face, due to her occupied arms. She grabbed it as well, increasing Kanda's annoyance. "What are y-"

"You're no good to me sick." He growled, grabbing his katana. The cold rain was annoying, but it was stopping. He was thankful now that he had put on a button down, instead of his usual training attire that he liked to wear under the long coat. The cold didn't bother Kanda too much. Sure, it was annoying, but he had felt worse pains. He had been prodded, burned, electrocuted and almost killed many times during tests. He was fine with a bit of cold rain. But, the girl didn't know that.

"No-I-I couldn't!" Sasha tried to push the coat back into his arms. Kanda pushed back with a scowl (where was this kindness coming from?), managing to trap the coat in between their hands, with no one really holding it. Unfortunately, since he had been holding Mugen in his arms, it was in the same situation. "You'll get sick if I wear this." The young woman pushed once more. To be honest, Kanda was surprised at her strength. He had expected the skinny woman to be weak, like most females tended to be.

"I don't get sick." The samurai pushed through his teeth. "Put it on. Now." It was an order. Loud and clear. He could see her stiffen at the sound of it, but she stopped pushing their hands. What Kanda didn't notice (as his vision seemed to narrow on the annoying prostitute more than often) was the horror on Benjamin's face.

"G-" The Finder got their attention finally with a stutter. The Exorcist looked up at the newbie, causing Sasha to slightly turn to be able to see the man. "G-g-" The Finder tried once more.

"What?" Kanda finally spat, annoyed beyond measure.

"G-ghost!" Benjamin finally yelled out, falling back and fumbling to get away from the two. Kanda didn't turn. Sasha did, but he stayed still. He could feel it now. The aura. The cold. The death.

Damn the distracting woman that smells like daffodils.

The specter was there, behind him. He could see Sasha's face turn from worry to horror as she stared openly at the thing behind him. He hoped that it wasn't an Akuma. One person, he could get alive back Home. Two, not so much. He knew that his immunity to Akuma poison would protect him, but the other two were defenseless against it. In his gut, Kanda knew, if it came down to choosing, he would protect Sasha. A Finder was replaceable. But, a woman that made him remember every single detail about her wasn't.

With disgust at his own sentimental feelings, Kanda realized that he wanted to get them both back Home alive.

The samurai saw Sasha's growing horror and figured that the specter was coming closer. Then, he felt it. The faint, icy breath on the back of his exposed neck. The aura of death that was spreading from behind him. Gaging roughly based on its presence, he could take it, whatever it was. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck rose as his blood began to rush and burn in his veins. Kanda unconsciously pushed his hands a bit forward, providing comfort to the young woman in front of him. His fingers tightened around his katana in anticipation. He was ready. Let them come.

Then, the voice sounded. "Are you her?" The icy whisper wasn't cracked and old, like he had expected. It was a chilling, clear voice, full of anguish. The breath of the creature fanned his neck, sending chills of excitement up his spine at the mere thought of the kill. He was going to feed his Mugen full of blood tonight. Kanda knew one thing, after all, what talked and breathed could be killed. And kill it, he shall. "Where is she?"

The specter wondered, increasing Sasha's horror. But, Kanda moved at that same moment. In the mud, he pivoted on his foot, unsheathing his katana in a fluid motion and swung at the thing without looking. He heard the woman stumble forwards without the force of his hands pushing her, but she managed to catch herself before she crashed into him.

Mugen met air as it swished through the increasing rain. There was nothing before the Exorcist. There was nothing to slay. "There!" Sasha shouted, her hand coming up to show the way. There was certainly a silhouette in the middle of the bridge and Kanda cursed his eyes for not catching it. He gave chase.

Through the, still wild, sounds of the river and the splashing of his own boots on the muddy bridge, the samurai could hear the occasional click when a heel hit the stone of the bridge behind him. The stupid girl was coming with him. Kanda heard Benjamin yell for them, both of them, but he wasn't listening, and she didn't seem to care.

"Where did she go?" The icy voice sounded through the dark and Kanda ran faster. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears. His katana was throbbing in his hand, waiting to be unleashed on the demons of the Earl once more. It was thirsty for blood and Kanda was going to help it quench its thirst. "She was right there!" The specter screeched now, as if in agony.

Kanda was gaining on it. He could see the outline of the robes that it was wearing. It was gray all over and it seemed to be clutching its head. The edges of its clothing were swinging wildly in the wind, and the samurai noticed how ripped they were. His body, full of adrenaline, was taking in every detail, as it usually did before a fight. Sasha's soft breaths behind him were comforting. The scream of the creature in front of him was inviting.

Kanda threw himself forward, Mugen raised. The specter didn't even move. The blade passed right through it, meeting no resistance as it went. For a moment, everything was still. The rain seemed soundless and the river looked still. Kanda realized that it was. Everything was still for one tiny second. Then, the most horrifying and blood chilling scream sounded, unlike those that the specter had let out before.

It shook, moving left and right, turning, its head going down and then back up. It was still clutching its temple as if in pain as it curled into itself. Then, the thing stood straight. Kanda got the first clear look at the creature. He hoped that it was a Level Two. He didn't know what he would do if it turned out to be something else. Something that he couldn't slay with Mugen.

There was no face. The gray mass of cloth that the creature seemed to be made out of was covering its face, as well, almost like hair that started at its temple. There were three holes on the 'face'. Two inky black eyes, perfectly round, stared at Kanda and he felt like he was looking into the abyss. Then, the third hole opened wider once more, and the creature spoke.

"Where did she go?"

"Who?" Kanda fired back, ready. If not an Akuma, this was quite possibly an Innocence. Kanda didn't believe in anything else. He didn't believe in ghosts. Fairy tales were for children, and he hadn't had that luxury in his short life.

"You aren't her." The thing spoke and swayed forward. It seemed to step towards him and then sway to the side once more. "She isn't here." It wailed in the daunting, pained voice. "She isn't here."

Kanda tried again. "Who are you looking for?!" He yelled over the creature's cries.

"Sheee!" It screamed. "Heeeer!" It swayed terribly in the increasing rain. The specter was heading for the ledge. Kanda slowly followed, Mugen raised. He didn't care that he couldn't cut the thing. He would do his damn best to slay the specter.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us anything!" Sasha's voice came from behind him, gentle and soothing, but it seemed to further increase the specter's agony. Kanda didn't look behind him as the wails increased in volume. He stalked forward, listening to every single cry.

"Where is she? When is she coming?" The ghost screamed.

"Who is she?" Sasha's voice finally got a response from the creature. It stilled once more, and Kanda was beginning to see a mad pattern in its movement. It focused the black eyes on the young woman behind him. Then, it moved towards them.

"She isn't coming back." It spoke calmly, looking at Sasha. "Never." The specter said. It was swaying dangerously once more, repeating 'never' more and more frantically. Kanda could feel Sasha moving back. He could tell that she was almost frozen with fear. He didn't blame her actually, if he was anyone else, he would be as well. But, he wasn't. He was Yuu Kanda, Exorcist of the Black Order.

Everything happened in a flash. The specter moved too close for his liking and Kanda slashed forward. Sasha screamed. Even though Mugen went through the thing with no resistance, the samurai was stopped in his assault. The specter seemed to be holding onto the blade of his weapon as it pulled him in, inch by inch, in complete silence.

The rain and the river seemed quiet for a mere second as Mugen sank further into the specter and Kanda got closer and closer to the gray mass. And then, he was flying. No, they were flying. Off the bridge and towards the water. The last thing Kanda saw was Sasha slamming into the railing, her wet hair hanging onto her neck and forehead, his coat still in her arms as she yelled.

"Kanda!"

Her scream of his name (which he later realized was the first time she had actually used it) was quickly drowned out by the specter's howls ("Never! Never! Never!" It kept frantically screeching) and the gurgling water in his ears. The last thing that Kanda thought before the dark came was:

Why wasn't she wearing the coat? It's not like he gave it away to anyone that came along.

**Dadadadaaaaaam! That's all folks!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes as I was writing (AKA, if you are confused about anything):
> 
> Kanda is not in love with Sasha or anything. Heck, he is more annoyed at her than anything. She managed to get under his skin in a way that he isn't used to and he hates that. But, he is also curious about her.
> 
> Why does he want to get both Sasha and Benjamin Home? He pities her and feels like he owes the Finder. Plain and simple. Besides, when he paid her for her service, he took on a responsibility, and Kanda kind of considers it an extension on the mission.
> 
> What does Sasha feel for Kanda? Well… She likes him, that much is certain. It's more that she enjoys how 'real' he is and how he treats her as a person (not too well, but hey). Because, Sasha used to be a normal girl in a normal family and her life on the streets was like a nightmare to her. The brothel is a little better, but still an extension of that. Kanda reminds her of who she was before she lost her home.


	9. In which Kanda goes solo…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone excited for the official revival of this fandommmmm??? I am! :D  
> I'm not too sure about the voice actors, but I can't wait to see the new episodes of DGM!!!

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: In which Kanda goes solo…**

Now that she thinks about it, Sasha had behaved like an idiot. It was somewhere in between embarrassing and irrational. Kanda was a trained Exorcist. Fighting Akuma and retrieving Innocence was his job. That was what he was prepared to risk his life to do, and what he had chosen for himself. She had nothing to do with it.

Yet, Sasha had lost control of her mind and body that day, the only thought the terrifying creature that had dragged the Exorcist under the water. It wasn't that he was a person who was paying her anymore. That hadn't been important in that second. It was the fact that he had been right there, beside her, moments before. Alive. His coat in her hands was still warm from his body temperature (miraculously, very well made, Sasha would muse later), but she hadn't even put it on in the end. She could smell the strong scent of sandalwood coming from it, something that Sasha had begun to associate with the stoic samurai. It was the fact that a living person, someone that she had talked to (complained to) moments before now had a high probability of becoming a dead body. It pushed her over the edge in more than one way in a split second.

"Miss Sasha! You can't!" The Finder, Benjamin, was tugging her back and off the railing that she had begun to climb as soon the Exorcist had gone under. The young woman whirled around, her wet hair whipping her face, but she wasn't aware of the pain. The rain had begun to increase again, as if the heavens were fighting along with the urgency in the woman's stomach. It had been mere seconds since the Exorcist had fallen over with the thing, whatever it was. If he was a swimmer (and Sasha hoped that he was) he would be able to hold on for a while. But, the water under the bridge was dangerous. It was wild and raging, ominously grumbling as it rolled against the rocky shore.

"Hold this!" Sasha pushed the Exorcist's coat into the Finder's hands and did the most irrational thing in the past couple of years. She pushed herself onto the ledge and swung her legs over. Then, her already cold body was flying towards the water.

"Miss Sasha!" She heard Benjamin yell after her, but soon, she was under as well. Cold water removed all rational thought that she had left in her head and fear gripped her. The kind of fright that one may call magic even. It was the instinct for survival, the one that made you absolutely terrified and completely oblivious to everything else except the objective in front of you. After a few moments of struggling in the rushing current, Sasha's head broke surface once more. She took a deep breath and swam down the current, keeping her eyes trained for a white button-down shirt. Luckily, she would see something like that easily, as the night was dark and the moon was shining high in the skies.

The current was strong and the river was furious. Sasha was pushed down, up, to the sides, her body hit against the rocks more than once and she scraped the bottom a couple of times. She swallowed some water when she would be forced to dunk unexpectedly, but she never, _ever_ began to drown. Sasha was a good swimmer. It was one of the things that she had learned before leaving her home. There weren't many of those that she could use in every day life, but all of them, she treasured dearly.

Her sister had been going through a spiteful and jealous faze. She had pushed Sasha off the bank of the lake one autumn, causing her to fall in. The young woman had been a child back then, barely six years old. But, she had pushed, kicked and struggled. The heavy, multilayered and very gaudy dress that her mother had insisted she wear had been ruined, much to Sasha's glee. She could still remember how that one had made her feel like a stuffed pig.

That was the day when the young woman had finally learned to swim. After a surprise dunk into the freezing lake near their cousin's home, Sasha had not once had problems with swimming. The water hadn't mattered. Cold, warm, filthy, clean, salty, strong. Sasha could swim in it.

However, after hitting a river bend a little ways down the length of the rushing water, Sasha struggled to push herself up and out of the water. This was the second turn that the river had taken and the Exorcist was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished, along with that thing. The grey creature. The specter. If not, they would've been on one of the two bends, pushed out of the water by the force of the river.

"Miss Sasha!" Strong arms grasped her for the second time that night, pulling her up before the wild waves could drag her back. Benjamin's worried eyes scanned the trembling girl over, looking for injuries. He found quite a few. "Oh, Lord." He mumbled into his chin as he helped her stand. The woman, no, the little girl looked up at him with lost eyes. She looked so small, fragile and young then, her strawberry blonde hair swept back by the water.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't find him." She croaked out, her voice cracking. Benjamin gave her a gentle smile and pulled her into his bigger and stronger frame. He hadn't noticed until that moment just how short and lithe the girl actually was.

"Kanda-sama is a trained Exorcist, Miss Sasha." The Finder soothed. "He will be fine. This is in his job description, Miss." The man wrapped the shivering and dripping girl into the Exorcist's coat tightly, forcing his laugh back when he saw how large it was on her.

Kanda was not a big man. No, he was rather lanky and sort of tall (for a Japanese man at least), making him seem weak and small. Yet, on Sasha, his coat looked like parent's would on a child. It drooped on one side, leaving one of her shoulders bare and slightly dragged on the ground, collecting mud.

The Finder led the girl away from the rushing river. She walked with him in a daze. There was nothing that they could do for the samurai now. They would have to trust in his skills and wait for him to defeat whatever it was on the other side of the phenomenon. Benjamin hadn't been in the Order for long. No, he had been there for a couple of months at the most. However, he knew that Kanda had the fiercest of reputations and the highest mission success rate. There was a good reason for that, no doubt. Hence, Benjamin believed in Kanda's abilities. The Finder had seen the fearsome man fight. It was an impressive sight to say the least.

The question was, how does one fight the untouchable?

"Just a little bit further, Miss Sasha." Benjamin encouraged. He had managed to get the girl to walk with him on her own two feet. Yes, he kept an arm around her waist, just in case. She had stumbled a few times, but was mostly fine, shivering and trembling, not speaking. She seemed to be in shock.

The sun broke the horizon and began to rise. The rain had let up, and now it was getting warmer, bit by bit. Soon, it would be a new, bright day, as if the confrontation on the bridge hadn't happened at all. But, with the sun, Sasha seemed to wake up as well, as Benjamin felt her shivering recede slowly.

"We're almost at Monsieur Phillipe's house, Miss Sasha." He encouraged none the less. Her corset was icy and iron hard beneath his fingers, despite the Exorcist coat in between them.

"Is this what you do?" She suddenly asked, looking up at Benjamin. He hummed in question, glad that she was finally talking again, but not really understanding the question. He was used to the working girl talking non-stop, gesturing with her hands wildly about, or complaining to the Exorcist about something. She was almost never quiet. And she was definitely never numb like this. "You just wait for them to figure a way out of terrible situations and you comfort the people who are waiting with you?"

Benjamin almost stopped walking. Yes, he wanted to say. That was what he did, at least. But, he was no good. He was useless. He didn't know the language. He didn't know a lot about travelling about, either. He couldn't even properly read the mission file. He could read, yes, but, he couldn't understand some of the code and abbreviations that the Order used. Long story short, he was useless.

But, that was just him. He had barely passed his Finder training. There were others. There was a girl in his group that had been amazing with barriers. She could put up a regular, one layer barrier in less than fifteen seconds, breaking the Finder Academy's record easily. Then, there had been that kid, the one with dreadlocks, who had come from some Southern country. He had been an expert in hand-to-hand combat, beating them all in physical training. There was, of course, the middle aged former lawyer who had topped their Academy class. Josiah Gott Mortell III was a name that he often cursed himself with, despite the fact that the former lawyer had done nothing to him.

"No, Miss Sasha. We don't wait." Benjamin answered the sad girl with a soft smile. He pulled her cold body to his larger, warm one, in a hug, not even noticing the way her breasts were pushed up by her dark corset. "We support the Exorcists." The Finder comforted, his voice showing more confidence than he had. It wasn't him. Josiah the Third supported. He, Benjamin, he was just a nuisance.

The girl suddenly straightened as Phillipe's house came into view. "Then, we should live up to that statement." She tossed a cheeky grin at the Finder. "Have you ever done an all-nighter?"

"A what?" Benjamin was baffled, the atmosphere suddenly not serious at all.

"All-nighter. You stay up all night, doing something." The blonde explained, grinning with nostalgia. "I used to do it all the time. Now, I don't really need to anymore." Sasha suddenly grinned at him, mischievously. She was back. The cheeky working girl that had fearlessly flirted with the most terrifying Exorcist was back. "You said you support them?" She clarified. "Then, we shall do just that." And she suddenly bent down, taking off her emerald heels and picking them up in her hands. The young woman sped up her pace, pulling the Exorcist's coat up her shoulders. "Hurry up, Benjamin!"

"Coming Miss Sasha!" He ran after her, surprised at her barefoot speed. "But, what can we do Miss Sasha? From here?"

"What else?" The girl gave him a grin. "We find the God damned Innocence ourselves." She explained, causing him to flinch at her (Lord offending) cussword. "I never really believed in ghosts anyways."

* * *

It was cold. It was cold and wet. And there were voices. This seemed to be happening to him more and more. It was that damned woman. Since he had met her, he had been getting into these situations more than often. Maybe she was bad luck? How could a woman be bad luck? He had heard from someone somewhere that women were bad luck. Wait, no. That was only on a ship. A pirate ship. Now that had been a _long_ mission. Sometimes he really hated people. And then sometimes, he just hated them moderately.

Another wave of whispers and hushed conversation reached Kanda's ears and he identified the language. French. Fantastic. Perfect. Just what he needed. Blasted French. Kanda slowed down his breathing, allowing himself to enter a familiar meditative state. After practicing on a daily basis, it now came as easy as sleeping to him. Actually, the latter probably came harder.

His senses tuned into the room that he was in and he felt it out without sight. Probably some sort of a cave, as there was no light, and by the state of his hunger (he had eaten a light dinner) hours had to have passed. The voices rang out, as if they were surrounded by an acoustic hall. There was also a sound of water splashing somewhere nearby.

Kanda took in a small breath, carefully, tasting the air. Well, he was definitely not above ground. He couldn't smell the distinctive scent of earth after the rain anywhere. But, there was a smell that bothered him. A scent of decay was in the air. A shiver ran down his body and Kanda shot up, his hand going to his Mugen on instinct. Still there. That was good.

A series of gasps and rushed French sounded somewhere to his right (he had been right about them being in a cave). He looked there immediately. A group of people was huddled against the wall, shivering. The samurai frowned and began counting them. Thirteen, including himself. There should be more. There had been more disappearances. The rest were dead? Drowned? Eaten?

It didn't matter, the Exorcist concluded, frowning to himself. There was always a simple solution. Kill the damned thing when it came back. The only question was, how do you kill something that you can't touch?

"Oi." Kanda finally called out to the group that was staring at him. A woman squeaked and buried her head into her hands. He almost rolled his eyes. No, he actually did. "Any of you speak English?" The samurai asked, not bothering to attempt to sound gentle. He didn't have time for this. He wanted to find the damn Innocence and go Home.

No answer from the crowd. The Exorcist sighed. French. He could do with a vacation away from France after this. He was swearing off France. Until he learned the language. Which meant that he was permanently swearing off France. English had been mandatory. Everybody spoke English. It had been fairly easy to learn, as he needed it to understand all of his missions. Tiedoll had been quite tricky, always switching between languages to get his sons to learn them all. Marie had played along. Kanda, not so much. Daisya even less. That had been a rare thing the two polar opposite boys had agreed on. No language switching. Kanda had to admit that Daisya had quite an impressive long line of multilingual cusswords that he had picked up over the years that he liked to use in those situations.

Japanese was expected of him. He had started out with speaking that language back at the Lab for some reason. Perhaps they had thought that since he was of that origin he should speak the language? No matter, it had been an early piece of his origin. A piece of his past that he couldn't bring himself to hate. It was still one of those things that Kanda considered as 'home'.

French, not so much. He could do without it. They had had one French Exorcist, and she had spoken perfect English (while she had been alive, that is). French had never been needed. Finders spoke it. Lenalee spoke some. The newbie Rabbit (not a so much a newbie anymore) spoke it (along with many others). He didn't need more languages. He was just fine like this.

Except now. "Where is the specter?" He asked, standing up on shaky and freezing legs. The group shook and murmured their denials to each other. Kanda shrugged. He was in one piece. He would figure it out. Now, a way out. He turned around to see something that he didn't expect behind him. A lake. He had been pushed out of the water by the gentle waves and was now standing on the bank of an underground lake.

There was something in the middle. An isle. He could barely see it, as it was tiny. There on it stood a small lump. Kanda squinted, trying to see what it was. No use. He couldn't. With a sigh, he figured he would have to go over there and investigate himself. But, there was one problem. Water. And, Lord, did Kanda hate water.

No, not in that sense. He liked drinking it. He liked taking showers and baths. That was great. Swimming, no. He wouldn't attempt such devilry again. Not after what Daisya had done to him. Throwing a him off a cliff in Greece straight into the clear waters below had been his fellow Exorcist-in-training's idea of a 'prank'. Kanda had honestly thought that he would suffocate the brat that day with his bare hands (after Marie had fished him out, that is). Since that day (and before) Kanda had stayed away from swimming of any sort. He evaded the pool at the Order like it was the Black Death itself.

And, he was not about to go on an experimenting expedition right now. Kanda looked around, trying to find a different way to the tiny island. To his absolute misery, there was none. He would have to grit his teeth on this one. Glancing back at the group of people, he shook his head. The damned lot wouldn't be of any help here.

With great hatred Kanda stepped into the water and began wading towards the isle, muttering Japanese curses under his breath.

* * *

"Nine?"

"In the last month."

"I see. People are growing wary of the bridge, then?" Benjamin concluded, shaking his head. He raked his hand through his head, with a sigh. It was an old habit of his. He often found himself knocking down the Finder hood when he did that.

"Obviously." Sasha snapped back, writing down the last name that they had gotten from a helpful baker in town. "Forgive me." She shook her head. "The lack of sleep is getting to me." The young woman sighed. "There is no crossing for more than ten miles south. It must be hard on them, but still an occasional traveller takes the cursed bridge." She frowned and mapped out the route the vanished boy had supposedly been taking. "Look." She pointed.

The Finder got up and hurried over to the other table. They were in the small library of the town, marking down the names and paths that the people had taken to the bridge, along with the time when they had been taken. They had two tables, one filled with ledgers of citizens and their trade and the other with a large map that Sasha had found and began marking with routes on.

"What did you find?" Benjamin asked, bending over the map next to the young woman.

"This boy." She pointed to the path that said lad had taken. "He isn't missing anymore." She turned to the Finder, eyes wide.

"How do you know?" Benjamin asked, turning to the woman. She nodded, rushing to the other table.

"He isn't from this town." She explained, taking a ledger and flipping the pages quickly. "That means that he clocked in and out, as he entered and left." Sasha smirked. "He just clocked out at the wrong time." And she turned the ledger around, showing the Finder.

"Oh!" He gasped. "I see. Innocence, anything could be possible with that." He nodded, taking the book. "Are we sure that it isn't a mistake or that he hadn't come before to the town?" Sasha shook her head.

"Definitely not. I remember because I had been talking to the old man that keeps the ledger. He remembers the boy quite clearly, as he had been very polite and nervous about his first time in the village."

"But the Ledger Keeper didn't notice this? Impossible!" Benjamin protested, closing the book.

Sasha caught his hand which was holding the leather record. "No." She smiled in triumph, cheeks red with excitement and eyes sparkling in glee.

"How?" He asked, desperate.

"Two shifts." Sasha explained, her words becoming faster and faster as she kept talking. Her accent was slipping through as well. Something of European origin, Benjamin guessed, but definitely not French. Maybe Slavic? "One for the sign in and the other for the sign out. And because he isn't from the town, he was reported missing by the old Ledger Keeper and not by his family, where he probably is right now!" She was pacing now, getting louder and louder.

"His name?" Benjamin asked, grabbing his previously discarded Finder coat and their sole lantern.

"Maurice Brun." Sasha answered, taking the plain shawl that Phillipe's wife Adrienne had lent her (like the rest of the clothes that she was wearing).

"Would you be so kind to accompany me on this adventurous trip, Milady?" Benjamin offered his, free of lantern, elbow to her. Sasha giggled, taking his arm with a small (but perfect, the Finder noticed) bow as if she were a real lady.

"Why I would be honored, dear Sir!" And the two were off, chuckling giddily to each other.

* * *

Pissed didn't even begin to cover it. No. He would have their heads. Everybody's heads. He could start with the idiotic Finder and then go onto the annoying woman that had gotten him into this situation with her babbling. He would, of course, get Komui, who had sent him here. And many of the others who were responsible for his current, wet, condition.

"くそ。" He cursed under his breath as the water sloshed around his shoulders and up his neck. He was going to murder someone. Or many some ones. He hoped for the latter. He needed a good fight. A fair amount of bloodshed. Akuma or human, he really didn't care.

With a surprised yelp (which he will never admit to producing) Kanda finally completely lost his footing and dunked suddenly. He clambered back to where he could stand in panic and then just waited there, breathing heavily. He was screwed. Flashes of clear, blue sea in Greece and the salt in his nose and mouth went through his head. He was so screwed. He would murder Daisya the next time he saw the Exorcist.

Now, he needed to get to that island. He remembered what Tiedoll had been trying to teach him. Just let go, my boy, the man had said. Just relax and let the water push you up. Human body is a natural floater. You will not sink if you don't panic. That had been his master's advice. Well, there would be no other time to try it out, Kanda figured, pushing bravely forward.

He forced his muscles to relax. It was hard, but he would do it. He could do it. Kanda grit his teeth and waded with his arms, his mouth in a thin line. It wasn't a long trip to the place where he could stand once more and walk towards the isle, but to the samurai it seemed like it was ages. He could hear the people from the shore muttering. It was annoying him as he waded towards the isle, endless relief in his heart.

This, he could handle. Ghost or not, it was easier to deal with than water. The footing was treacherous and his clothes soggy, pulling him to the ground, but the samurai didn't allow it. With years of training under his belt, he gracefully (in his opinion) pushed himself out of the water, for once glad to be on a tiny, barren island.

It was small, barely fifty meters in diameter and empty. Well, not that empty. Kanda headed for the grey lump that he could see, the terrain becoming drier and drier as he went. With a huff, he pushed his wet bangs back and out of his face, the gust of air hitting his forehead in a way that he wasn't used to. He had had bangs as long as he could remember, and he was quite familiar with the protection from the wind that they provided.

Wind? Kanda stood still for a moment, waiting. Then, he shivered slightly at the cold air that circulated. Strange, it hadn't been there moments ago, when he had been with the group of villagers. In fact, the air over there had smelt stale. Here, it was perfectly fresh. And fresh air meant one thing. Exit.

But, before that, Kanda had to find out where this untouchable specter had come from. He inspected the grey lump once more, seeing its stone construction. Nothing special. It was covered in bits of green moss and there were small, white and yellow flowers growing all around it, like tiny stars in the dark, muddy grass of the island.

The samurai knelt down, moving his Mugen out of the way with a practiced motion and cleared the moss away from the part closest to him. There was something written on the stone. With a frown, Kanda ripped the rest of the green away, clearing the letters.

"What the Hell?" He murmured to himself, trying to decipher the worn letters. Then, he noticed the numbers under. Four numbers, dash, four numbers. It was a grave. He was in a graveyard. They all were.

As if on cue, screams filled the cave from the shore, catching Kanda's attention. He whipped his head around, his ponytail swishing behind him. The group of villagers was scrambling about, running away from something that he couldn't see. Then, their attacker came closer to the water, following the screaming crowd.

The specter was back. And in between Kanda and it now stood water. And, Kanda really hated water. Almost as much as he hated teamwork.

"May you all fall to the deepest pits of Hell." He growled to himself and gripped Mugen, running back towards the lake.

**That's all folks!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, interesting trivia: It's implied that Kanda cannot, in fact, swim! I couldn't resist xD


	10. In which Kanda has a realization…

**Hopefully, you will like this chapter!**

**Chapter 10: In which Kanda has a realization…**

Screams. Screams. Screams. It seemed that his whole life was going to be doomed to a series of those. Usually, people ran away from the terror of the sound. They didn't like them. Not him. No. He didn't like them per se (let's face it, screaming was loud and annoying), but he liked what made them.

Maybe not liked. Enjoyed. Immensely. Kanda had known from a young age that he was different. Weird. That he wasn't like Alma. No. Alma wanted to be friends with everybody. Kanda didn't. He didn't like people. He liked silence. He liked swords. He liked to be alone. He liked danger. None of those things were suited for making friends. So, those were rare in his case.

It was during his teenage years that Kanda realized what one of his favorite things in the whole wide world was. His job. It allowed all the things that he liked: silence during the train rides and in the meditation room, weapons for protection and missions, solo work and Akuma. He lived for Akuma. Just like a lot of his Exorcist colleagues. He would probably die for the Akuma as well.

Scrambling out of the water, Kanda swiped in a practiced motion with his Mugen at the specter. It went through the gray rags, but made the creature retreat. One of the Frenchmen that it had reached for wasn't as lucky as the others. As soon as the specter was out of sight and the blood in Kanda's veins began to cool, he looked where the person used to be.

A shriveled up mess lay on the floor, sending a nasty stench to his nose. The Exorcist moved forwards, kicking at it with his boot. Rags. Skin colored rags. At least that's what it looked like. On further inspection, he noticed the colors and the strands of hair and the shoes. It was a body. A shriveled up, boneless, waterless body.

Coughing once from the stench, Kanda turned to the sobbing survivors. They looked even more terrified, if that was possible. He cursed France in his head. He was going somewhere else next. Somewhere where they spoke English.

"Stay." He ordered, as if speaking to dogs and turned to the place where the specter had vanished. It was time to find the damn thing and kill it, once and for all.

~Meanwhile with Sasha and Benjamin~

"So, any thoughts?" Sasha asked as they left the poor looking village house where Amelia and Maurice Brun lived. Benjamin stroked his beardless chin in thought for a moment. The plain-looking villager hadn't been too eager to help them, but after quite a while of Sasha convincing her that she wouldn't be turned into the authorities by them as a witch (burning was usually what stories of magic got you in these hard times, after all) she had re-told her son's story. And it had been quite a tale indeed. The youth had travelled to the neighboring village only to meet the infamous specter face to face and survive it.

"It is definitely strange for an Innocence to do something like this." He said.

"But not impossible, right?" The young woman replied instantly. The Finder shook his head.

"I don't think anything is impossible for Innocence. There is simply too much that we don't know about its capabilities. Time distortion could be a very simple thing for it. I remember a colleague telling me of an Innocence that brought an army back to life numerous times for a Lord." The Finder answered, remembering all the things that he had heard in the cafeteria and on missions. "But, how is it selecting people?"

"Citizenship?" Sasha fired off as they walked towards the village exit.

"No, quite a few merchants went missing as well." Benjamin shot the idea down.

"Gender?" The woman asked. "No, age?"

"Maybe age." The Finder nodded, grabbing the reins to their rented horses and untying them from the pole. He handed Sasha hers and gave her a boost onto the gentle animal. The young woman hiked her skirt high, cussing in an un-ladylike manner under her breath about sexism and riding. Benjamin chuckled, jumping up onto his horse and getting ready for the ride back.

"If that is so, what is the age limit? And more importantly, why is there one?" Sasha asked, turning her horse easily around, like she had been riding her whole life. To be honest, the Finder hadn't expected her to be able to ride. After all, there were few women who knew how to handle a horse properly, and their profession was definitely not a working girl. Actually, he had had to remind himself quite a few times that Sasha was, in fact, a prostitute. With her mannerisms, new clothes, sharp mind and unusual set of skills, she reminded him more of a fellow Finder than anything else.

"Maurice is eleven, making him the youngest of the vanished people." Benjamin recalled. "The next one being twenty. We can assume that the preferable age of the specter is anything except children."

Their horses slowly passed the old, creaky gates of the village and Benjamin waved at the day-guard, who saluted them back. Apparently, having Black Order identification was quite useful, no matter how small the place was. Sasha was considering borrowing the one from Kanda's coat for an indefinite period of time before she returned it. After all, old habits did die hard.

"So, what should we do next?" The young woman asked as the horses got a bit restless upon seeing the open road. True, she was all for helping the Exorcist, but in the end, she wasn't the professional here. But, luckily, her companion was.

"We find the right story for this specter." Benjamin explained. "Innocence is always tied to a human somehow. Be it in body, or emotion or some kind of a trauma, it will want to please its owner in the only way it can: by causing a phenomenon."

The young woman nodded slowly, processing the information. She brushed her hair out of her face, wishing that Annette was there to help her with it. "So, we're looking for something that happened before the phenomenon on the bridge?"

"That's the gist of it." The Finder agreed. "The more tragic, the more probable it's going to be as a cause."

Sasha gave a nod and then smiled at the man beside her. In her opinion, he wasn't as useless as he made himself out to be. Her bright grin obviously caught him off guard.

"It's a race back, then." And she gently hit her horse's sides with her heels, making him break into a run.

* * *

Kanda slowly came to. The first thing that he noticed was that he was in a bed. A very comfortable bed, for some reason. He wondered why they didn't have those at the Order. They provided the best to the Exorcists, after all. It was quite profitable, considering how many Exorcists died during missions. Even more with Finders. So, a couple of beds weren't too bad for the dead men working for the church.

Then, the feeling started returning to his tired muscles and Kanda groaned. No, this bed wasn't comfortable at all. It had been the mild painkillers that someone had given him. With a growl he pushed himself up in a sitting position, cursing the slower and slower healing of his body. He could remember a time when he used to grow an arm or two a day. But now, he could barely fix the most basic of the wounds without sacrificing his life.

His body was exhausted beyond belief. His muscles didn't allow him to push himself any further and the young Exorcist fell back onto his pillow. Well, what should have been his pillow. With a growl of annoyance, Kanda stayed still, hoping that his raging headache and muscle-ache would vanish. Needless to say, it didn't.

The sound of something slamming outside of the small, simple room brought him to a state of panic once more. Well, not panic of course. Kanda didn't panic. It was more of a state of unusual stress (more that his normal daily share, which was quite a bit if you took his profession into consideration).

Another sound of something being slammed rang out and Kanda pushed himself up on will alone. He scrambled out of his bed, finding Mugen easily and headed (barefoot) towards the only door, using his sword to stay upright. His exit (escape) from the simple, country-house was fast, but not painless and the Exorcist was soon outside.

The fresh air hit him like a ton of bricks and the warm morning made him feel a tad safer. Spring was in the air, making the breeze on his face warm. He looked around, still trying to piece the last couple of days together, quite disoriented. Had someone hit him on the head? If so, they will pay.

Another slamming sound drew hit attention. A young woman with copper hair was hanging the laundry to dry, slamming each piece in the air before putting it up. She was a simple village girl, as far as Kanda could tell (which was by her clothes and back). Then, she turned and the samurai felt his face slip into a frown.

It was Sasha. It had taken him a minute to recognize her. Sasha was hanging laundry. Why was she here? Where was here? Why was she hanging laundry? Whose laundry was it? Did she wash his coat? She had to after she wore it, Kanda reasoned. Wait, why would she be wearing his coat? Right, he had given it to her because of the rain.

The two stood still for a second, their eyes locked. Kanda's memories rushed back to him, and Sasha finally got over her shock.

"You shouldn't be out of bed!" She yelled (yelled, mind you) at him. She had just yelled at Yuu Kanda. And that was just a synonym for suicide. Kanda glared at her with as much hatred as he could muster, but he had to admit that it probably didn't look all that threatening. Especially because of the way she looked at him.

The young woman rushed to him, tossing the shirt that she had been straightening into the basket. She grabbed his left arm (the free one) and threw it over her shoulder, taking more of his weight that Kanda would like to admit.

"Tch. I don't need our help, whore." The samurai bit out, not seeing the grimace that flashed across her face. The young woman bitterly laughed at him.

"Sure." She helped him return back towards the house and led him into the small room that he had been in earlier. Sasha forced him into the bed (which was rather easy due to his wounds) and took away his Mugen. Kanda's head lolled back onto the poor excuse for a pillow and he kept his glare on her. "Now. Stay." She pointed her finger at him as if he were some kind of a mutt and then turned to leave.

"What happened?" His scratchy voice must've brought out some kind of maternal instinct in her or something, as she rushed out and then back in, this time carrying a tray. She placed it on the simple cupboard in the room and sat down next to Kanda on his bed carefully.

"Drink this first." Kanda struggled to raise his head to take a sip of the drink (no matter how much he hated taking orders, he needed the liquid). The girl noticed immediately and reached over him. Her left hand went under the samurai's head, pushing it up from behind, as her right held the cup that he was supposed to drink from.

The Exorcist greedily took a sip and then, after his biggest need was quenched, became painfully aware of the woman. Her thigh was pressed against his side, through the blankets, of course, but he could feel the heat radiating from her body and seeping into his cold, tired one. Her scent was all around him, but it wasn't the usual daffodil smell that she carried. It was something else, still flowery, but something different. He didn't like it, Kanda decided. He liked the normal Sasha, with her white scarf, irritating face and cheeky smile, smelling like daffodils.

"There you go." She cooed at him. Cooed, mind you. Kanda frowned once more as the young woman lowered him to the pillow. "Alright, ask your questions now. After that, we will see how you feel and if you can eat some broth. It will do you good. It's probably not as tasty as the food that you're used to at L'Eglise, but it's the best I could do with what I had here. These are poor peop-"

"Shut up." Kanda growled and cut her off. "How long have I been unconscious?" He demanded in a gruff tone.

"Almost two days." Sasha fired off, her former nervousness gone. Why in the world had she been nervous? He had never seen her nervous before. Scared, yes. Scared he could handle. Nervous, not so much.

"What the hell happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" The young woman gently asked, a complete one eighty to his tone. Kanda huffed, but answered.

"Coming here. I remember that asshole asking you for your time. And I remember Phillipe's story about the specter." Kanda let out a small cough and Sasha immediately reached for the drink which he tried to refuse with his hand. However, the working girl was as stubborn as the Exorcist and grabbed the back of his head with a gentle, but strong grip and brought the cup to his lips. He drank without protest. An Exorcist knew his body. After that much rest, he would need to rehabilitate himself.

"Good. That's more than Ben said that I should expect." Sasha nodded. She put the mug on the cupboard and fluffed Kanda's blanket. "He went to the center with Phillipe to check in with your Church." Kanda looked out the window, not answering. The young woman walked over to it and opened it, the warm air coming inside, smelling of spring.

"What happened?" The Exorcist managed to grit out through his teeth.

Sasha tossed him a frown, but complied. She returned to his side, reaching for his forehead to feel his temperature and began talking.

"Well, we went searching for the specter, that much you remember, yes?" Without waiting for his answer she kept speaking. "After you fell into the river and vanished we tried to find you." Sasha looked away from Kanda's eyes as she spoke, but he didn't comment on it. He would let her keep her lies to herself.

"Ben brought me back to Phillipe's where we dried off and got some breakfast. After that, we did all the research that we could from our side. We went into the Records, terribly kept, I must say, and looked for inconsistencies." The young woman explained. Kanda's eyes followed her hands as she moved them unconsciously while speaking. "We managed to figure out by noon that children weren't disappearing. We found a boy who had experienced a time shift on the bridge. He told us that he had met a woman who had told him stories about her daughter."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kanda growled.

Sasha gave him an unimpressed look. "If you keep interrupting, I'm going to stop telling." She gave a moment's pause, but when the samurai didn't speak up, she continued. "We went searching for the woman in question and managed to find out that there had been an incident on the bridge some time ago. A young mother had killed herself, after the death of her daughter. Her child had drowned, but none of the townspeople had helped, despite hearing her cries. The mother vowed to destroy them before she was overwhelmed by her grief. We figured that the Innocence must've held her curse."

Sasha looked at Kanda to see his eyes fixed on her. She took a small and shaky breath at the intensity of his stare. Never in her life, not even in the brothel, had she had someone look at her like that. Especially a man. He was staring at her as if she was the most important thing at that moment. The rude, yet surprisingly gentle at times, man truly was a mystery to her.

"The Innocence?" He questioned, obviously forsaking her previous warning. Sasha gave him a small frown, but gave in.

"It's with Ben." It bugged him. Why did she call the stupid Finder by nickname? "Once we found out about the story, we went to the woman's old home. She had lived at the South of the town, by the graveyard. Ben found the Innocence in her daughter's grave. In the small toy that she had placed with the child." Sasha slowed down in her story, looking at her fidgeting fingers in sadness.

Kanda gave a small sigh. "Tch." He remarked. At least it was over. Sasha looked up, and then stood from his bedside quickly. She straightened out her apron, obviously borrowed from Phillipe's wife. It was strange for Kanda, to see her in something so normal. He was used to her low-cut corset and lace, along with the royal green coat. He almost missed the way her heels clacked on the pavement as she walked. Now, her footsteps were silent.

"Phillipe found you near the bridge when he went searching for us. He brought you home." She said as she busied herself with tidying up the dishes and correcting the bed sheets into perfection around him. Kanda wondered if this was what the Madam asked from her ladies at 'Les belles nuits' after they finished their official work.

"I remember the fighting." Kanda murmured to himself. Sasha's eyes connected to his, worried. He didn't need her worry. He didn't want her pity. This was his job. He was used to lying in a bed, chest slashed open as he waited for his regenerative abilities to kick in. This was nothing new.

Kanda closed his eyes and in the darkness he could see again. He could remember Mugen in his hand, pulsing, as he chased after the specter. He could recall the screams and the foreign words that were yelled out in horror as the ghost attacked its victims. He could see the way their bodies fell on the floor, like ugly, dried up, human skins. There was nothing left in them once the specter touched them. It sucked everything away.

He couldn't help the fear that had gripped him. This was the first time that he was facing something that he couldn't touch which could touch him. It could kill him in a second, yet he was powerless against it. But, he had charged forward. The Order didn't like it very much when he returned unsuccessful from a mission.

True, Komui would understand. The Chief was a good man. He would make up an excuse or two to the higher-ups and take the heat away from his Exorcists. But, Kanda wouldn't stand for that. He knew just how cruel Leverrier could be. The Inspector truly didn't care about how the Exorcists acquired the Innocence as long as they did. He thought that they were necessary casualties.

For the greater good.

How Kanda rued that sentence. He had heard it enough times already. From the scientists in the Sixth Laboratory. From some of the other Exorcists. Even from a General or two. He had pushed all those people away. After all, if you were replaceable enough to someone, sooner or later you would end up dead. And Kanda, as reckless as he was, still wasn't ready to throw his life away.

"Kanda?" The soothing voice of the working girl was awfully close compared to how far she had been when he had closed his eyes. He was going to have trouble getting used to her silent steps. He opened his eyes, successfully shutting out the screams of the people that had died in front of him.

"I killed it." The Exorcist murmured, strangely quiet. "I could cut it." The flashes of the recent fight seared into his brain from where his tired body had blocked them out. "When you removed the Innocence." He connected the dots in his head, confusing the young woman in front of him.

"Come on, drink some more." Sasha offered the cup of water once more and the samurai obliged. Despite the fact that his regeneration was working, he was still as human as she was. There was a moment of silence between them, as Sasha processed Kanda's words, obviously realizing that he had managed to defeat the specter. The samurai, though, used that time to inspect the confused woman in front of him.

Her eyes, framed with long eyelashes haunted him when he least wanted them to. They seemed to pierce right through his walls of defense. She always knew how to get under his skin. Her hair was pulled back, leaving her ears in plain sight for once. It was strange, as he was used to her having soft curls around her face. Then again, he was also used to seeing a smile on her painted lips. Yet, now, she sat there, confused, without a speck of make-up on her face, with a slight frown.

Kanda supposed that she was pretty. Not a face that he would remember if he met her on the street, but pretty, in an average, feminine way. There was always a slight pang of irritation that hit his belly when he looked at her and suddenly he realized why. The girl's bangs were cut to the middle of her forehead, usually curled in a single roll, bulging out. That had always pissed him off. Now, those same bangs lay flat on her forehead, a little to the side, where she had undoubtedly been sweeping them with her hand while hanging the laundry.

"Grow out your bangs." He growled out, irritated and hurting. Sasha looked up from her fingers to him once more, surprise on her face.

"What's wrong with my bangs?" Suddenly, she flushed. Kanda raised his hand and brushed them to the side, where she had been unconsciously swiping them towards.

"They look retarded." He bluntly commented and the young woman shot up from his bedside, like it had been made out of hot coal. Her cheeks held their blush as she gathered herself and picked up the empty cup and tray from the nightstand.

"Well, thank you for your opinion." She told him in an even voice. "Stay in bed." And then she was gone.

Kanda sighed, almost shaking his head. He didn't understand women. He was simply trying to help her. If the bangs irritated him, they surely irritated other people, too? That's what he got when he tried to be nice, for once. The Exorcist pushed those thoughts away, closing his eyes once more. Of course he knew why he was attempting to be civil to the woman. He had hired her and she had done a good job.

This surely hadn't been the first time that Kanda had paid someone to aid him with his Order work. There were one too many police officers that had gotten coin from him for information. Not to mention the number of thieves that he had paid to get tips. Yet, so far, the only person that had immersed herself in the job had been Sasha. Not to mention the fact that she had haunted him before that, even. He knew her name.

Kanda allowed for his mind to relax and enter its meditative state. From there on, he expanded his senses, searching for the presence of Sasha. He could feel the tiny creases of the blankets that she had missed earlier. He sought out the window where the spring breeze was coming in from, carrying the scent of peace. He located a couple of birds that had made a nest in the roof of Phillipe's home. And finally, he found her.

Sasha was noisily hanging out the laundry, smacking it in the air to straighten it out before putting it up. Kanda could picture that from earlier, when he had seen her doing it. Then, she had had a serene aura, at peace with the simple job. Now, her smacking was a tad irritated. She was still mad from his words.

Yet, Kanda knew that he would never be able to look at the prostitute the same way after that day. He would always see her without the heavy make-up on her face or the exposed cleavage. He would remember the young girl that was hanging out the laundry in the afternoon sun in a field of colorful flowers, in France. And for once he wouldn't mind the French one bit.

**That's all folks!**


	11. In which Kanda admits…

**Chapter 11: In which Kanda admits…**

The trip back to Paris had been more than uneventful. After Phillipe had attempted to pay Kanda for his service and got his refusal (the money needed to be sent to the Order by an official who would arrive after the mission was a success) the villager had been quite willing to do something for the group that had saved their small town. The Exorcist had been cleared by Benjamin after one more day of rest (as a Medical course was compulsory at Finder training), to his obvious joy. Kanda had been absolute Hell as a patient.

Phillipe's wife, Adrienne, had managed to convince a merchant to take them to Paris for a small price which she insisted that her family pays. Then, the villagers had proceeded to give various gifts to the party, including food, clothes and some even money. Kanda had declined with indifference which bordered disgust. It was his job, after all. Benjamin, on the other hand, had been rather confused, attempting to mostly politely refuse the gifts. And Sasha, well, she had taken everything given to her with a large smile.

The odd trio ended up riding in the back of one of the goods carriages all the way to Paris rather comfortably. When they finally arrived to the City of Love, the prostitute had held out her hand for her money to Kanda and he had given it. She hadn't even bothered checking the amount, much to Benjamin's surprise, and then she collected her bags and hopped off the carriage. The cheeky girl had sent them off with a provocative wave and kiss, causing Benjamin to splutter and Kanda to hide his reddening neck.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, as Benjamin was still quite afraid to speak to the Exorcist and Kanda was simply being Kanda. The samurai loved the silence, there had never been any doubt of that. As the two left the goods carriage a couple of minutes later (Ben thanked the driver for his trouble in shaky French), the duo headed towards the train station.

It was an old building, run down by time and mostly decorated with black metal structures. A large clock was on the wall in the front and Kanda noted the time with distaste: 5:35. If they were lucky with train choice and travel, they would be Home by that afternoon. For once, the Exorcist couldn't wait to get to the loud Order.

The Innocence was pulsing comfortably next to his heart and Kanda sighed. He had taken the green treasure and placed it in the container box as soon as Benjamin had showed it to him. From then on, the mythical gem was in his coat, right by his heart, safe and comfortingly pulsing. That was the way that he usually carried his loot back. Safe and close.

"Wait for me here." He instructed the Finder and headed towards the ticket booth without looking back. Benjamin, though, picked up his bags and rushed after the Exorcist.

"Tickets, Kanda-sama?" The young Finder asked as he almost ran to catch up with the Japanese man.

"Che." The swordsman barely replied, but Benjamin was used to that. He had spent a couple of missions with the stoic man to know that he was a person of few, mostly rude, words. In all honesty, Benjamin believed that Kanda was a tad on the socially awkward side, and mostly didn't know what to say.

"Combien?" Asked the young man in the ticket booth as the two neared. Kanda glared, but Benjamin was quick to answer.

"Deux, s'il vous plait." The samurai's glare switched to his companion.

"D'accord." The young man slid two tickets through the gap and left them on the wooden counter. "Douze." He said the price and Benjamin quickly fumbled with his pockets to found the money.

A hand slammed on the counter, pushing twenty forward. "I'll give you twenty if you also deliver this for me." And then the samurai pushed an envelope forward. Benjamin managed to read Sasha's name on the front in delicate, blue ink.

"Vhere to, monsieur?" The young man rushed over the 'h' like it didn't exist in the word.

"Les belles nuits." Kanda's French pronunciation was even stranger that the young man's English one.

"Are you writing to Sasha, Exorcist-sama?" Benjamin asked, getting excited and smiling. He had had his suspicion that the two had known each other from before.

"Tch." Kanda growled as they waited for the boy behind the counter to find his piece of paper (for directions) and hat. "To her Madam, newbie. If I don't pay, the cheeky whore will be in trouble." The samurai clarified.

"Aaah!" Benjamin realized. Brothels were harsh business, after all. No doubt, Sasha would've earned more money in Paris, hooking men, instead of adventuring with them in the countryside. Considering that every Madam practically owned her working girls, Sasha would have to do anything the woman said in order to make up the difference in the money.

The young Finder looked through his wallet (which he had managed to locate in the meantime) and pulled out some money.

"Here." The man said. "Will you place this in there as well, Kanda-sama?" Wordlessly, the Exorcist opened the envelope, giving Benjamin a peek at the generous amount of money that he had already placed in. The Finder dropped his sum as well, smiling contently. "Now, Miss Sasha will be free to keep some of her earnings, right?"

"Hell if I know." Kanda growled out, but it wasn't as harsh as his angry tone. He wasn't mad. Benjamin smiled even wider. He had gotten much better at reading the samurai, and truth be told, the man was more bark than bite. "You." Kanda addressed the boy who had finally appeared outside of his booth.

"Oui, monsieur?" The youngster (now that Benjamin could see him better, he was a little younger that he appeared, a teenager) stood excited in front of the two men.

"If you open the envelope on the way, I will know." The samurai said in an even, promising tone. "And then you will answer to an Exorcist of the Black Order for your crime." The young man's eyes were glued to the silver cross on Kanda's coat as he gulped in fear. The Black Order was quite well-known, after all. It was known for exterminating demons, and mostly, those demons looked like humans. Their business was violence.

"Je ne ferais jamais cette chose, monsieur!" The boy assured Kanda before taking the envelope and stuffing it into his pocket along with the change from the twenty. "Bon voyage!" And the youth ran off.

As soon as he was out of sight, Kanda smirked and spoke without turning to his companion. "Do you think that he will deliver?"

Benjamin was shocked at the action, but answered, regardless. "I reckon he is too frightened not to." The Finder chuckled.

* * *

Sasha didn't go straight to the brothel. No. She headed first in the opposite direction, towards the abandoned part of the town. There, thieves and beggars gathered, hiding in the crevices of the city's ruins. The dark and shameful part of the great capital, removed from view.

The working girl knew these parts of the city well. Before the Madam had taken her, she had been a thief and beggar herself. The seemingly unorganized community of the poor was surprisingly rule-abiding. There were three Beggar Kings, deciding together on the laws of their territories. They each had their groups of street rats who brought home wealth from their daily work. Crossing into each other's area was forbidden. Any new thief in town was fair game for recruitment.

When Sasha had first arrived, she hadn't been even noticed as a thief. That alone spoke for her skill. After at least a month of living as a scoundrel, she had been recruited. Even now, despite her change in occupation, she knew her former King's territory like the back of her hand. She still remembered where to hide her loot, if she didn't want anyone finding the goods. And, with her work at 'Les belles nuits', she couldn't own anything (except her white scarf) at the brothel. Well, she did own some clothing, but it was expandable as soon as someone else needed it more.

The young prostitute passed some of the houses ruined by fire and then turned to her right, entering the large villa at the end of the road. She didn't stop to look at the windows, once decorated with stained glass and now barred with planks that creaked in the wind. The rug, eaten away by insects and rodents didn't bother her one bit as she rushed over it. The remaining broken furniture, destroyed by time and the vacant, charred by flame, staircase towards upstairs stayed undisturbed as she walked through the house. The young woman then reached her destination, a ruined old bookcase and struggled for a moment to push it out of the way, just enough to slip through the hidden door behind it.

Sasha had discovered that a lot of the old houses, especially the more expensive ones had hidden passages, doors that lead somewhere mysterious or latches on the floor. This one didn't disappoint either. The staircase that lead slightly downward was made of stone, untouched by fire. Sasha didn't bother lighting a torch, as she knew the pitch black passage by heart by now. She felt along the walls with her free hand, the other holding some of her packages, finally founding what she was looking for. A small bump in the stone and then, a torch.

The young woman reached forward, grasping the doorknob and opening the entrance. When she entered, the stale air if the passage left her nose and the soft scent of daffodils filled it instead. The young woman dropped her burdens to the floor carefully and searched to her left for the cabinet. She quickly located the candle and light which she had left there last time.

Soon enough, the soft flame of the lamp filled the space and Sasha took a calming breath. The room was simple, no bigger than her room at the brothel. Yet, it was filled with many more things. There were vintage cupboards and armoires left and right, holding Sasha's precious clothes, jewelry, books and even money. She had draped various clothes to hide the stone walls and floor from sight. There was no bed, only a couple of large pillows in one of the cupboards which were used in emergencies. Sasha knew that if she were absent from the brothel for a night, she would get the Madam suspicious.

The young woman walked to the middle of the room, where a table stood and lit the other candles in its middle. The room lit up more. Then, she busied herself with putting her loot into its proper places. She put the clothes in the drawers and the small amount of food on the table. She chose which could last and which needed to be eaten, before making herself a meal.

Fed, clothed and deliciously tired from her adventure, Sasha wished that she could afford to pull out the pillows and take a nap. Alas, the Madam surely needed her. With that thought, the young working girl headed out of her sanctuary and towards the brothel.

* * *

"Sasha!" Élodie, a young woman with pretty blonde curls and a pink dress greeted Sasha in front of 'Les belles nuits'. "Where have you been?" The perky blonde questioned, tightening the hold on her flimsy floral shawl in an attempt to keep her bare shoulders mysteriously hidden. However, Sasha knew why she was doing that. The girl had been branded with a Fleur de Lis some time ago, despite it being a fairly old and fictional practice. A customer had taken _The Three Musketeers_ a bit too far in Sasha's opinion.

"Working." The young copperhead smiled with tight lips, trying to avoid conversation. Élodie was a good person, that she couldn't deny. But the girl was a tad too young, she was a couple years younger than Sasha herself, and she idolized the Madam. That in itself spelled trouble. True, the young copperhead was loyal to her protector. The Madam didn't treat them badly. Sasha had seen some of the horrors on the girls from other brothels. They had been more than lucky with their Madam. Yet, in the end, the woman owned them, in the worst way possible. So, if Élodie was snooping about Sasha's business, there was a chance that the young woman would lose her secret room filled with treasures.

"Oooh! Really? Was he a handsome rich Lord this time?" Élodie gushed excitedly as she grabbed onto Sasha's bare elbow. "How come you always get the best ones?! My last was a real pig, he wanted me to do a threesome with his wife!" Sasha smiled uncertainly, allowing Élodie to keep chattering on and on as she pulled her into the brothel. "Madam!" The blonde yelled out as soon as she saw the redheaded mistress. "Sasha's back!"

The Madam turned around, her hairstyle as neat as always. She smiled at Sasha and opened her arms to welcome the girl back. The baby blue silk of her expensive dress brushed against Sasha's bare cleavage and arms as she accepted the sort embrace. It was comforting, yes, but very much unlike her mother's. Her mother had been a taller, much gentler woman. When she would hug her daughter, she would pat her head, without mistake and then gently whisper words of love into her ear. Her mother had always been surrounded by the smell of fresh winter and roses, her flower of preference.

The Madam, well, the woman was shorter, almost below Sasha's height. Her arms were a tad on the bony side and you could unmistakably feel the age on her skin when she hugged you. The Madam was no girl, that was for sure. She smelled of expensive wine and a lot of perfume.

"I was so worried for you, my little lady!" Sasha almost winced at the nickname. The Madam was no fool. No matter how long had passed since Sasha had been educated properly, the woman's sharp eye had noticed the high-born upbringing right away. Since the beginning, she had teased the young woman with the ironic nickname. Sasha was far from a Lady now.

"I sent a note by one of the peddlers as soon as I got the chance, Madam." Sasha straightened her back in a defensive way as she spoke. She always seemed to revert to her 'proper' form (straight back, chest out, shoulders back and head held high) when she felt threatened. "The business was too good to miss."

"Of course, of course. I understand, my dear." The Madam nodded and led Sasha by the arm towards upstairs. "But, by the time that the note arrived! I had been worried sick!" And then the Madam gave her another hug, pulling her close. "It wouldn't do well for us to lose our greatest asset, now would it?"

"Of course not, Madam." Sasha smiled tightly once more, forcing herself not to flinch at the words. She should be used to being evaluated as an asset by now, but it was simply difficult. "I have no intention of going anywhere, I assure you."

"That's marvelous!" The Madam was still smiling. She extended her open palm to Sasha, much like the copperhead had done earlier to Kanda. However, the air was quite different now. There was no request in this move. There was an order. Sasha took out a small pouch of coins from her corseted cleavage and handed it over. The Madam was silent for a moment, not smiling as she counted the contents. Then, the woman gave the girl a slightly bored look. Sasha reached under her skirt and pulled out a couple of bills and handed them over, too. "Marvelous!" The Madam smiled again.

"It was quite a profitable trip, no?" Sasha said, smiling in relief. She could give this to the Madam. It didn't matter. Sure, it was almost all the money that Kanda had paid her, but she didn't care. The contents of her secret room could fetch her a fair price if necessary. She had hoped to keep the bills hidden, but her luck was running low that day. Well, she would eat a bit less in the next couple of days.

"Indeed, my little lady." The Madam smiled at her, mouth wide. "Here you go, your part." She handed Sasha back a couple of coins, less than ten percent, as far as the young woman could see. Well, that had been bound to happen, she figured. "Now, are you tired?"

Sasha felt her tense nerves ease. She wouldn't have to work for a bit. She wouldn't have to make up the difference. She was safe. The money, she would earn once more. "Not really, but I woul-"

"Marvelous!" The Madam grasped her elbow once more, leading her to a room down the hall. The redheaded woman tucked her money in the cleavage of her blue dress. "Shall I keep that safe for you?" She didn't wait for a response before taking Sasha's coin and opening the door before the young woman could protest. Sasha bit her lip to stop herself from retaliation. Speaking against the Madam in front of the customers was always a bad idea. Always.

"Good day, sir!" The Madam greeted. "I'm very sorry for the long wait!" She curtsied and Sasha followed suit (much more gracefully than her mistress). In front of them sat a foreign gentleman, that much the young woman could guess from his clothing. He was wealthy, without a doubt, by the numerous details in gold and silver all around his wear. He had a cane in his hand, purely decorative, as he wasn't that old. Perhaps in his late thirties, by Sasha's estimate.

"It is no problem, kind Madam." The man walked forward and kissed the Madam's outstretched hand. He was definitely foreign and most likely from the Slavic countries. He rolled his 'r's heavily, like the Russians did. "I'm a patient man." But, his French grammar was impeccable. Sasha was certain that he was a rich man of noble upbringing.

"This is Sasha, out little language magician." The Madam spoke, pulling the young woman forwards slightly. Sasha walked the rest of the way on her own, plastering a sweet, innocent smile on her pouty lips. She knew what that did to the customers well enough.

"I heard that you were unavailable, Miss Sasha." The copperhead sucked in a breath at the way he addressed her. Benjamin. "I'm very happy that you are here." The young woman nodded.

"As am I, I assure you." She replied politely. "I was on a trip earlier."

"Then you must tell me all about it." The gentleman took her by the hand and led her past the bed and onto one of the comfortable chairs at the table. Sasha noticed the Madam slipping out quietly. She knew what followed. She could only play 'tell the story' with a customer for a little while after all.

The bed with pink covers was waiting for her naked body.

* * *

Kanda shot up in his bed, panting. He groaned when he felt the discomfort in his underwear from his dream. With a curse, he headed for the bathroom for a cold shower. They usually helped him at that point. Once he threw off his nightwear, the samurai walked into his shower and quickly turned on the water. It fell down his long hair and his body, still sweaty from his dream. He reached for his soap, but then changed his mind and took the shampoo to lather his hair with, like Sasha had suggested.

Sasha. Damn that cheeky whore. It was her fault that he couldn't get a proper rest.

He had fallen asleep on the train ride back a couple of times, only to wake up, startled and in a need of a cold shower. In the end, he had forced himself to stay awake. Thankfully, the Exorcist had forced his Finder out of the couple during the trip.

They had arrived by the canal, only to be welcomed by Lavi, Johnny and Komui. The redhead had seemed to be talking the Chief's ear off about construction as the science division genius nodded along, seemingly ecstatic. Kanda had managed to sacrifice Benjamin and escape that mess quickly with his usual 'Hn'. He had dropped off the retrieved Innocence and gone to be checked out by the Head Nurse. The blasted woman had made it a requirement for him to do so after every mission. The punishment for skipping the Medical Wing was banning Mugen. No Mugen meant no work. No work meant more time at Home. No thanks, Kanda would rather do the check-up.

After getting cleared, with a small comment that he should take a shower, the Head Nurse had sent him to his room. There, as Kanda enjoyed doing after missions, he prepared to take a short nap. He had planned it all out. Short nap, then quick shower, some soba and in the end of the day, meditation. Perfect day.

But, the cheeky whore had had to go and ruin that, too.

The Exorcist couldn't seem to forget her face when he had flown over the edge of the bridge. Flushed by cold and worried, her blue eyes completely wide. Her hair had been down, soaked with rain so that it was darker than usual. Thin strands of her curls had stuck to her face, near her lips, as she had turned her head quickly. It had been an inopportune moment.

But, Kanda couldn't forget it. His exhausted mind had combined her wet face with his hormones and made a very real fantasy in his head. Sasha wasn't worriedly looking at him as he was falling off the bridge, screaming his name in terror. No, she was sitting right above him, on his lap, with her hair wet and blue eyes half-lidded as the simple dress and apron that Phillipe's wife, Adrienne, had lent her were pushed up from her legs.

Her legs. They were pressed to Kanda's sides, making him painfully aware of the smooth and warm skin that was there for his pleasure only. Kanda groaned into the cold water, remembering the way the copper haired woman had practically been in his lap during their ride to the small town of Bellac.

There was no denying it. He was attracted to Sasha. She was going to be the death of him.

Kanda heard the urgent knocking on his door increase and hurried to rinse out the leftover bubbles from his shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist, leaving a trail of drops as he went to answer the annoying visitor.

"Yuu!" Lavi's happy face greeted him and Kanda growled. "Do you want to come to the city with Santos and I? We are going-" Kanda slammed the door shut into Lavi's still grinning face. "Okay." He heard the dejected mumble behind the thick door and smirked in satisfaction. A dejected rabbit was his joy.

However, Lavi's interruption had managed to take his mind off of Sasha, which helped immensely with his sudden realization. The samurai dried off, and dressed in casual clothes, simple black pants and shoulder-less shirt. He tied his wet hair in its usual ponytail and then headed towards the cafeteria. He ignored the staring Finders and Exorcists with expert skills as he headed towards Jerry's window. The line parted, allowing him to pass to the front.

"Hello, Kanda-kun!" Jerry greeted with a smile. "Back from a mission?" The cook didn't bother asking for Kanda's order and began preparing it right away.

"Hn."

"Was it difficult?" Jerry finished his meal with expert speed and precision, just like Kanda liked. "You didn't get injured, I hope?"

"Tch." And then the samurai walked off with his meal.

Lenalee found him a couple of minutes later, eating at an empty table in peace. The Chinese girl slid into the seat opposite of him with a smile. She placed her plate of sweets in front of her and took some ice-cream with her spoon.

"Say, Kanda, what are you doing later?" She asked after swallowing.

"Meditation." Was the curt response that she got. Kanda pondered for a second why he didn't find Lenalee attractive. No, she was. The Chinese girl was undoubtedly pretty, but she wasn't Sasha. There was no fire. Her eyes didn't stare right through him in that frightening, bone-chilling way.

"Would you come with me to the city first?" Lenalee asked politely, still eating her treat. "Nii-san won't let me go alone, no matter how many times I promise that I'll be safe and still unmarried when I return."

"Hn." Kanda replied, but both Exorcists knew that he would go. He always did.

**Until next time!**


	12. In which Kanda freezes…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would really like to thank the guest who left kudos on this story as well as transjohnnygill and the guest who left kudos on the one-shot, After mission remedy.  
> I hope that you enjoyed that bit :D

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: In which Kanda freezes…**

Sasha allowed for her skirt to drop to the floor and kicked it away, uncaring where it landed. She passed the body length mirror, decorated with a faded gold pattern and walked to the old, iron bathtub, watching for a second the way steam twirled from the surface of the water. The young woman took a small towel from one of the shelves before walking back to the tub and then putting her foot in.

As soon as her skin touched the water, she had the instinct to pull away. But, she didn't. She felt dirty. Used. Disgusting. She needed this. The young woman placed her whole leg inside, following with the other one. Her pale skin became an angry reddish color the longer it stayed under the surface. Sasha gripped the sides of the tub with her hands. The towel in her right saved it from feeling the heat of the iron, but the left palm burned at the contact.

The young woman slowly lowered herself, putting all of her weight onto her arms, until she was under the surface completely. For a couple of moments, she sat still, feeling the heat of the water on her skin. It was burning away the numbness. It was taking away all of his touches and kisses. She would be able to look at herself again after the bath.

Sasha undid her bun in a simple motion and ducked her matted locks into the hot water. Her face got hot instantly. Maybe she had overdone the heat this time. Maybe it was too much. She didn't open her eyes underwater. She had done it once, long ago, during her first scorching bath and had gotten them so red that the Madam had made her pay a fine. She wasn't allowed among the customers until she calmed down the redness.

As soon as her air ran out and her lungs began clasping on themselves uncomfortably, Sasha pushed her head up, listening to the drops that fell back into the tub. It was calming, soothing, yet disgusting. The sound that she had associated with her sisters playing in the pond in the summer, the sound always accompanied by laughter, was now tainted. The drops that would hit the water as she tossed toys at her little brother who was in the bathtub, while he giggled and shrieked excitedly now reminded her of something else. She was dirty. She was tainted.

The young woman brought her hand down to the side of the tub, stretching and twisting her body so that she could reach the two bottles. She picked the longer, heavier one and pulled it up, smiling as she unscrewed the cork. It was an old wine bottle which one of the elderly gentlemen had brought to their establishment some time ago. Sasha remembered how they had received first one and then a dozen or so more, all of the women drinking afterhours, happily, with no men involved. It had been a compliment for their service, but the girls had taken it as payment, and made it into a fun outing, without thinking about their jobs.

Now, many of the bottles were used to store the shampoo or conditioner (if they could get any). Sasha lathered her hands with the thick liquid from the bottle and rubbed it into her hair. It smelled of soft pillows and blankets after a wash, much like cotton. Yet, there was also a hint of a flowery scent in there. But, the young woman knew that the smell would vanish in mere hours after her bath, leaving her simply smelling like herself. That was why she used her oil to keep her scent fresh.

Sasha dunked her head under the water once more, after she had closed and replaced the bottle in its rightful spot. When she resurfaced, taking a small breath, she pushed the bubbles out of her eyes and wrung out her hair, taking out the soapiness. Next, she grabbed the small towel on the edge of her bath and placed it in the soapy water, beginning to rub her already red skin of any dirt that was left on her. She would never say it out loud, but she hoped that she would also one day wash away the touches of all the unnamed and named men that she had been with.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door, a yell following. Sasha let out a tiny sigh, standing up. She wouldn't put the conditioner in her hair, she thought, glancing at the other bottle. There was a line where the thick liquid ended and it was quite low in the bottle. The young woman got out of her bath, the water sloshing out onto the tiles as she walked to the full-length mirror.

Her shelf was right beside it, her name written in cursive, emerald green letters. The Madam had started that tradition of coloring them. Most of the women in the brothel couldn't read, and even less could write. The Madam was a rare one who could do both, as well as Sasha. Of course, there were a couple more, including Anette, who had been a teacher before turning to prostitution. But, the Madam had found a solution for the girls' illiteracy. She had assigned each young woman a color which marked them and their things. So, Sasha was usually dressed in deep, royal green, her favorite color.

The young woman stood in front of the mirror, inspecting herself. Her hair was damp, lying on her shoulders gently, but she could see the tangles in it which she would have to brush out. Her hair was a tad on the bushy side, unruly, when she didn't put the conditioner in it, but she didn't mind. She had inherited her hair color from her mother, the copper hue quite dominant in it. Her sisters had always argued how she had blonde, almost golden hair with a reddish hue, but she didn't think so. With age, her locks had completely taken on the color of their mother's.

She had become rather thin since she had lost her family, but that was expected. She had lived as a thief for almost two years, stealing only when and as much as it was necessary. She could remember the hunger that had struck her country, back when she had lived there with her siblings. How her stomach would rumble, but she would simply drink water to stop the pressure and eat a small part of the bread that her eldest sister would bring. To think that that had been a luxury. During her time as a thief, she had been forced to go days with only water, and sometimes even that was scarce.

Now, her body had some meat on the bones, some kind of form. Yet, if you looked closely, you could spot her ribs and count them. But, the Madam thought of that, too. She tightened the girls' corsets as far as they could go, forcing their bones to slowly change form. She often demanded that they wore the restricting undergarment to bed as well, causing the ribs to shift even further into the desired form. Now, Sasha doubted that she could get used to living without a corset.

Another knock sounded from the door, this time even more urgent and Sasha looked away from the image of the blue eyed girl that she didn't know any more. With a sigh, the young woman grabbed a towel from her shelf and wrapped it around her slim body, now red from all the rubbing that she had done. She finally felt that she was not as dirty as earlier.

At another knock, Sasha ran to the tub, dipping it to the side and spilling all the soapy water on the tiles, all over her feet. It went towards the small hole in the corner, towards which the whole floor was tilted towards. Sasha grabbed her previously discarded clothes, piling them into a basket in the corner and taking it into her arms. She opened the door with her elbow and exited, apologizing profusely to the girl who was waiting in front.

The young woman climbed the old, creaky stairs one more floor and then entered her room, marked in emerald green on the front, like all her things. It was a small, cozy room, which she honestly hadn't been expecting to have when she had begun her work. Yet, she was one of the biggest earners, and getting profit meant having the favor of the Madam. This had resulted in a small, but cozy room, complete with a dresser opposite of her bed and a small window which showed the front of the establishment. Sasha liked to sit in the chair next to it, watching the carriages rush back and forth down the street.

The young woman dropped the basket of dirty laundry in the corner of her room, her towel following. She slipped into a royal green robe and brushed her hair on autopilot. She left it down to dry and walked to open her small window. Immediately, the sounds of the street, people yelling and rushing about in the morning drowned out the giggling of the girls in the brothel. It was early morning, their last customers had left and the women were all bathing and retelling their funniest requests. Sasha had never been a fan of this time of the day. Perhaps it was because, despite becoming a working girl, she still considered herself a thief. She wasn't sure. But, something about the happy giggling at weird men's quirks and counting money for their service disgusted her. It was then when she would remember her older sisters and her brother the most, longing for her happy childhood.

Sasha walked to her dresser and pulled out her diary (really just an excuse to have paper) and a bottle of ink along with a quill pen. She had gotten the writing utensil some time ago for a cheap price from one of the peddlers. Of course, she had had to flirt a bit, show some of her cleavage in a very discreet way, but it had been worth it. The pen had a still nib, but it wasn't nearly as nice or as updated as one of the nice fountain pens that didn't need an ink bottle, as she had seen on some gentlemen who came to the brothel. Her last customer had had one. He had been kind enough to explain to her how they held a tiny capsule with ink on the inside, allowing them to write without an ink bottle. The man had doubted that she could read and write, much less understand what he was telling her, but he had been rather happy to talk about the pen as she kissed his neck. What Sasha wanted, she got.

The young woman sat at her desk, opening the ink and then flipping her diary to the first empty page. She dipped her pen and began: ' _Dear Mr. Samurai,_ '. Then, the woman paused. What would she write to him? The Madam hadn't requested him, like she had done a couple of times before, this time it was Sasha writing, on her own. But, she wanted to know what he was doing. She was interested. What kind of innocence phenomenon was he solving this time? What were other Exorcists like? Was Ben the only Finder that he knew? What was the Black Church like? Did he have a lot of free time? Did he train a lot?

Sasha spun her pen in her hand, sending a small drop onto the top of the page. She had been taught writing a long time ago. The girl began to doodle, making the drop of ink into a tiny bird. Her mother had been quite adamant about her knowing how to read and write. But, Sasha had never been one for patience. She would get bored and then pinch and bite her teacher, often running away or 'forgetting' that she had a lesson. The tutors had called her a little menace back then. But, since the Madam had asked her to write to Kanda, she had become slowly ashamed of her bad grammar. Then, she had begged Anette to help her.

The pregnant woman had a lot of time, since she couldn't work until her baby came. She did a lot of the cleaning, washing and cooking, but she had also accepted to help Sasha with her writing. It had been a bit of trouble, since Anette didn't speak English and Sasha was writing in English, but, they had managed. Now, the copperhead knew exactly what to look out for when she wrote to someone. Sasha glanced at her paper again, noticing the flock of little birds that were flying across the page. She had even designed a little cage at the point of their origin. The young woman dipped her pen into the ink once more and then wrote once more:

_I would like to thank you once more for employing my services as a translator. It was quite an adventure in Bellac. I have been careful and haven't told a soul outside of the brothel of my participation. The Madam was kind in her punishment for leaving without a word, so I'm looking forward to your next mission in France. Hopefully, this time I will have enough time to tell her before I leave._

_I have been well. The Madam has me working with one of the gentlemen from Germany. He really likes Élodie, one of the girls, but alas, he doesn't speak any French! I have translated far too many of his clichéd attempts at flattery for them to be even funny anymore. Fortunately, they haven't asked me to mediate while they are in the throes of passion, yet._

_Anette sends her regards and asks when you are coming back. A lot of girls are wondering the same thing. I am also very eager to see you again. Your wounds were quite terrible, as Ben had explained, have they healed yet? Ben told me of a Matron that you have at the Church who takes care of your injuries. I truly hope that you have listened to her advice and not been reckless._

_Sincerely,_

_Sasha_

The young woman ended her letter with a swirl of her name, placing another small bird doodle at the end. Not the best, but it was a good letter, she decided. The copperhead went over her messy letters once more, checking for any mistakes. She marked in a letter that she had forgotten in the second paragraph and then smiled. She was done.

Sasha stood, her robe slipping around her legs as she walked to her dresser, taking out her powder and going back to her small, round table. There, she unscrewed the powder and blew on it, causing small particles to fall on the ink, helping it dry faster and giving it a pleasant smell. Then, Sasha ripped the page out of the notebook and folded it. She placed it in an envelope and carefully tipped her daffodil oil, letting one drop slide on the page. After waving the envelope madly about, making sure that no stain went through to the paper and ink, she placed it back on the table, quickly scribbling the address of the Black Church.

The young woman flew down the stars in her robe, corsetless, which would've been a right scandal back home. But, she was used to seeing all the girls rush about half naked by now. The numerous candles were still burning in the entertainment room on the first floor, allowing Sasha to dribble some onto the envelope, sealing it safely. She was about to go out and give it to one of the peddlers on the street when she noticed a lipstick lying on the bar top. Sasha smirked as she grabbed it, put it on her lips and then smacked a kiss imprint on the back of the envelope.

"Miss Sasha." One of the live band members greeted her, while holding the door open for her to pass. She threw a smile at the young man, exiting. The band was there most nights. They would play the music that the Madam requested and then leave in the early morning, after breakfast. They were all rather nice chaps, but none of them had ever visited 'Les belles nuits' for anything other than playing, which said something.

Sasha spotted a regular peddler and walked over, fishing through her robe for the couple of silver coins that she had placed in there.

* * *

Kanda sneezed. He then promptly cursed under his breath and then ducked back into the small, wooden house. Here he was, alone, in the middle of nowhere, waiting for his Finder to get there. Kanda lowered Mugen against the simple table, just within his reach and allowed himself to plop down, quite ungracefully into the single sofa chair in front of the fire.

He sneezed once more and followed it with a silent curse in Japanese. His eyes fixed on the small window on the door, showing the falling snow outside. Of all the places where Komui could send him, the man had decided to shoo Kanda off to Switzerland. Normally, Kanda wasn't bothered by the country. Bring a Finder along and suddenly everything would be translated easily enough to you. The samurai didn't even mind it that much when he had gotten the mission file. It was June. Everywhere was nice and sunny and toasty in June, right? Wrong!

Komui must've searched for the Jaws of Death themselves, because he had found them in the middle of the Pennine Alps, in Switzerland. It was positively freezing the whole way from the train stop and then all the way up to this hunter's lodge in the middle of the mountainside. By the time Kanda had clambered all the way up, he was ready to return to the Black Order with an unfinished mission, if just to kill the Supervisor.

It was snowing, freezing and positively the most annoying place in the middle of June. Kanda was ready to give up the quest for Innocence, but his pride wouldn't allow it. He glanced at the fire which he had built earlier. It was slowly becoming smaller and smaller, telling him that it had been a few hours since he had arrived. The Finder was late. Maybe he had fallen off that cliff back there, the one with the snowy black rocks all the way to the bottom? God knows how close Kanda had been to sliding down it.

A figure obscured Kanda's view of the snow and a Finder entered the small cabin, disappointing the samurai's vivid imagination of a painful and snowy death. The man brushed off the snow which had gathered on his customary beige coat and then placed down the communication box from his back. Kanda took the chance to inspect the Finder as he made himself at home in the small hunter's lodge. He was a tall man, almost taller than the samurai himself, and he was older, perhaps in his thirties. Kanda could see a couple of scars on his face where it was visible, but he had bandages around a half of it that also covered his hands, so probably his arms as well.

It wasn't unusual to see a Finder with bandages. They either wore them because of current injuries, scars, disease or some other reason, which Kanda wasn't privy to. Anyways, after working with Toma a few times, the Exorcist was used to the thick level of white fabric covering someone's skin. But, that was beside the point. He hadn't seen this man before (as much as he tried _not_ to remember faces, he often did and blamed it on his swordsman instincts of taking in his surroundings), so he was either a transfer or a newbie. And, if it was the latter, he was going to murder Komui. A couple of newbies he could take. First it had been that Stupid Rabbit and his entourage. Then, it had been a couple of Finders. Next, a suicidal Exorcist who had gotten himself killed all too soon. Kanda had gotten a lot of pain for that one. He had even returned the man's Innocence, but, no, he was supposed to keep the damn idiot alive. It was not the samurai's fault that the guy decided to take an Akuma bullet straight on to protect some villagers. Suicidal, Kanda had said.

Benjamin, him, Kanda had somehow survived. As annoying as he had been in the beginning, the Finder was a quick study. After only seven missions with Kanda, he knew precisely how not to irritate the samurai and to make the whole ordeal more comfortable for both the Exorcist and the clients. Not to mention that he had kept his mouth shut about Sasha. Maybe that had redeemed him in Kanda's eyes?

''Kanda-sama." The Finder spoke, his voice a slow, relaxed tenor. The samurai's eyes fixed on his, glaring him down. "My name is Mark, I will be your Finder for the mission." He introduced himself professionally enough. Maybe he is a transfer, Kanda pondered. He hoped that the man was a transfer.

"Tch." The Exorcist replied. "You're late. Our meet was two hours ago." The samurai stood, buttoning up his black coat and preparing to grab Mugen and leave. He was ready to start the mission.

"Please, forgive me." The Finder replied. "I was delayed, first at the Order, and then later on the border of Switzerland. They had made a mistake with my papers when making my passport." The Finder was rummaging through the pocket on the communication box now.

"I don't care. You were late." Kanda growled out. Then, the Exorcist paused. "They don't request passports in Europe anymore." There was a tense silence in the room, the Finder not moving.

"Well, that didn't last long." The man finally spoke. "And I had thought that I would be able to get your Innocence before you noticed." The Finder, no, the Akuma, looked up, connecting eyes with the samurai. Before his gaze, the creature transformed, showing its deformed, ugly body. It was a Level Two.

Kanda drew Mugen before the Akuma could fully leave its shell, slashing its legs off. "Tell me." The Exorcist growled. "What is your ability?" Mugen's tip was now lodged right into the small gap which connected the Akuma's neck gears with its head.

It smirked widely. "I can take on the shape of the last person that I've devoured." It replied, as if that would sicken Kanda. The samurai grinned widely right back, twisting Mugen slowly, so that it was dislodging the gears of the Akuma's neck.

"Good." He replied in a dangerous whisper. "Now I can cross it off my list."

The Level Two seemed shocked, its eyes widening. "You are a cold one, not caring for your comrade." It told the Exorcist, smirking again. But, Kanda didn't care what it said. He twisted Mugen around with a little more force than necessary, causing the Akuma to lose its head, bursting into flame. It was dead.

"He wasn't my comrade." Kanda sighed, realizing that this meant that he would need to stumble about the mountains on his own, looking for the darn Innocence phenomenon. The samurai cursed his Supervisor yet again, promising pain upon his return, like he always did when he was discontent on a mission.

He cleaned Mugen on the remains of the Finder's cloak and then placed it back into its sheath. It was time to leave. He had a _long_ night before him. As the samurai passed the communication box next to the door, he smelled something familiar.

Daffodils.

Kanda turned to the box, looking at the open compartment. It was usually used by the Finders to store something personal or something that he would later pass onto the Exorcist. He spotted a letter, a little crumpled from the journey and grabbed it. The smell of daffodils got stronger.

Kanda easily enough spotted the lipstick kiss imprint on the back, feeling his ears heat up as they undoubtedly went red. That cheeky whore. He would get quite a few questions when he returned to the Order, that was sure. Kanda gave in and brought the envelope closer to his nose, inhaling deeply. In his mind, he saw Sasha, smiling, like that day when she had first met him. He could see her face through the glass of the train door, smiling, her annoying copper bangs too short on her round face, her eyes sparkling knowingly. Kanda lowered the envelope to his side before the image could take on another, more inappropriate note. He was no stranger to the way his memories of Sasha usually became fantasies.

The door creaked as Kanda left the hunter's lodge, the fire spreading from the Akuma's dead body behind him, leaving a thick smell of motor oil in the air. He felt them before he saw them. There were at least a dozen other demons, waiting for him outside. Kanda stuffed the letter into his coat, right above his heart, before he drew Mugen. His fingers found the familiar steel without him looking, like they always did before activation.

He sneezed. Komui was going to pay.

"Innocence, activate."

**That's all until next time folks!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like another spin-off one-shot, tell me :)


	13. In which Kanda has a bad dream…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to the Relaxing Music Epic Fantasy-compilation by Ivan Bogdanovic on YouTube while writing this. (if you like Skyrim, Game of Thrones and etc, it's a great OST compilation)
> 
> Thank you Akira for your very kind comment, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 13: In which Kanda has a bad dream…**

' _Arrête! C'est ici l'empire de la Mort.'_

The letter that had become visible under her lantern didn't give her any hope. She knew exactly where she was. Her breath came out in short gasps as she rounded one of the many corners, running away from the inscription. Her tin lamp was held before her in a shaky arm, swinging wildly in all directions as she ran. The light illuminated a face for a short second before swinging away and she shrieked falling back onto her behind.

Her lamp rolled away, the hall going dark. She held her breath, chest heaving in effort to breathe and eyes watering from both fear and lack of oxygen. Moments passed by, her behind slowly becoming soaked in the muck from the muddy ground. When nothing moved in the pitch-black hall, she began tapping slowly on the ground, drawing shaky breaths and calming herself slowly with practiced words.

She needed her lamp. Then, when she lit the lantern, she would see what had been in the dark, probably a statue of some sort (The city was quite full of them, after all) and then she would leave. Where you could enter, you could always exit. She had learnt that during her time as a thief well.

Her gloved fingers, numb from the run and the fright, stumbled onto something hard in the muck, finally. She tapped it about, pulling at it. It was round, and had a couple of holes. But, there was no tin cap on it, like there had been one on her lamp. Freezing, she didn't dare let it go, yet she wouldn't want to keep inspecting it in the dark of the hallway, either. Not with only her fingers. She didn't want to lose them.

Slowly detaching her left hand from the object, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a very useful thing. It was a small gadget which she had managed to convince out of one of the, more drunk, German gentlemen. He had called it a small fire, something that you can carry in your pocket, but she might've been mistaken. It had been years since she had last practiced German with her mother, after all. She liked to call it a 'lighter' since it lit things and she didn't show it to anyone under any circumstances.

Her muddy glove slipped around the small gadget a couple of times before she managed to open and work the mechanism, causing a shaky light to appear at the top. Glancing down, she saw the object in her hand and let out a small sigh. It was a skull. With a sad face, mourning the poor fellow, she stood, taking it with her. One shouldn't be simply sitting in a middle of a hallway after death. She looked about, noticing the walls now in the shaky light.

They were lined in carefully, almost artistically, arranged bones. Skulls, femurs and ulnas were built into the material of the walls, creating an eerie feeling of being watched by the dead. But, the dead weren't something that scared her. She spotted her tin lamp easily and prayed that the oil hadn't spilled. The German gadget worked only so far and she needed to get out of the halls of the dead.

She placed the skull next to a wall, nodding at it. The oil from the lamp burned as soon as she gave it flame, spreading the light further down the halls. Replacing the German gadget in her pocket, she looked about, trying to figure out the way that she had come from. Many halls split away from the small oval room in which she was standing, her feet sinking into the mud.

Now that she thought about it, she was glad that she had opted not to wear her heels, but a pair of old flat, peasant shoes instead. They had a solid bottom, without a raised heel, and they laced up all the way up her leg. She could run in those properly, for a change. The delicate heels which she was used to wearing at the brothel were simply too fragile for all the jumping and climbing which she had done in the past two hours.

A wind blew through the tunnel, carrying the sound of pelting rain outside. Sasha's light flickered, but stayed strong. It was an oil lamp, after all, not a candle. A cheap one, but a sturdy one. Another wisp of wind blew through her tangled her muddy hair, making her head feel cold.

Then, she heard it.

The subtle clanking and shifting of metal gears, along with the heavy breathing that should never accompany a machine. It was here. It had found her. For a moment, Sasha cursed herself for going out to investigate. She should've waited for him. _He_ would easily deal with only one of those creatures and then would give a cheeky line, probably.

Heck, if he could see her now, he would definitely give her one of his rude words. _What were you thinking, you cheeky whore?_ He would say. _You couldn't possibly compete with a man chosen by God to do his bidding. This is the work of Exorcists, the Holy Chosen People, you are merely a whore._ No, he probably wouldn't say that. He wouldn't need to. He would just click his tongue at her, pushing the air through his teeth in frustration and creating a small 'tsk' sound, like he usually did. But, Sasha wasn't stupid. She could read between the lines. And in the end, she was nothing anymore. She could never compete with someone from the Church. She was just a whore, after all. A whore, a thief and a liar.

"Found you, little mouse!" The metallic voice was right behind her, making her break out of her stupor and turn. The mud from her dress and hair fell in droplets on the metal skin of the creature, which would've looked rather funny, if it weren't so deadly. It was like with clowns, Sasha figured. They were funny in daylight, yet, when they were haunting your dreams at night, they were anything but.

However, this was no clown, and she was in no dream. Sasha threw her oil lamp at the demon, the spilled liquid lighting up easily as soon as it caught fire, and then she ran into the darkness once more.

* * *

There was blood everywhere. Red, dripping, gushing blood. How did he know that it wasn't simply, wine or tomato juice? He had seen enough blood to compare. Not only Akuma blood, human blood as well. The two were very different. While human blood was a perfect, deep scarlet color, dripping easily over ones fingers, Akuma blood was dark, almost black, oily and it shined in the light with small purple and green patterns, much like any oil.

Akuma blood didn't slide through your fingers and then crust. No. Once you were in it, you were screwed. You would be left washing your clothes for as many as three times to get all the grease out. Of course, he didn't know this from experience. He didn't do his laundry. He left the removal of various liquids, grime and particles to the maids or the Science Department, if necessary. They had complained a few times about him getting half of an Akuma bullet stuck on his sleeve in the blood. No one dared touch the particle because of the deadly toxic which coated it.

Kanda was used to dreaming about blood. After his, rather violent, childhood (if it could even be called that?), the metallic smell was something that the samurai took in as a daily occurrence. Of course, the norm that he had set for him was often frowned upon, mainly by Tiedoll and Lenalee, but it was simply their opinion. He didn't care.

So, when he had closed his eyes after a nice shower and fell into a restless nightmare of bloody bodies and corpses, Kanda had attempted to simply swim through the dream and go into that black corner of a rested mind, where he usually got to very easily. The space where there were no dreams, no nightmares, just rest. Like his meditation. Even in his sleep, the samurai was well-aware of the fact that in mere three or four hours, he would need to be up on his feet, ready to go on a mission. A lack of capable Exorcists did that.

But, Kanda didn't manage to keep swimming uncaringly through the dream this time. Something, or someone, stopped him. The scent of daffodils was strong in the air and a familiar head of copper hair made him stop in his groggy walking through blood and gore and look. Instantly, he was focused.

There she was, Sasha. She stood there, clutching at her stomach, where an arrow with angry, red feathers protruded. Who in the Hell uses arrows anymore? Kanda found himself asking in his dream-state, his feet taking him towards the young woman. She had never been in his dreams of this sort before. There had been Marie, Daisya and Tiedoll at first. Then, Lenalee or Komui, dying, begging him for help. Then, Lavi, the Stupid Rabbit, or the Bookman, blaming him for his incompetence. There had been numerous faceless Exorcists and Finders, ones that Kanda had never managed or attempted to save, staring him down.

But, there had never been Sasha. She wasn't a part of his life. She wasn't a part of his fight. She shouldn't even be in the danger zone. She shouldn't be here. Yet, there she was. Her blue eyes were filled with such pain which Kanda couldn't even imagine her having. The tears were sliding down her cheeks from the hurt that the arrow had caused her. The white scarf which she always wore was stained in red. The kind of blood which crusted when it dried. It was too realistic.

Kanda didn't dare touch her. _Do not interact with bad dreams_ , Tiedoll had told him one night, after Kanda had woken up breathless from a night terror. _If you don't believe in them, they won't believe in you. They will leave you alone._ With that advice, he had managed to swim through the worst of them. But, this. This was different. She was so real.

Kanda gripped the arrow from her stomach, holding it firmly with one hand, while the other reached to support Sasha's waist. He tugged it out in one smooth, practiced motion, without waiting for the illusion to be prepared for the pain. The mirage cried out, oh so realistically, causing Kanda to cringe, and he pressed his gloved hand onto the wound, trying to stop the red from gushing out.

Soon, all the white material from his uniform was soaked scarlet. He looked up, only to see the clear blue of Sasha's eyes become dull, empty and dead. The illusion of her body fell forward and he caught it. The weight. He could feel her weight on him as he held onto her small form tightly. She wasn't breathing. She was dead.

The longer he stood there, her warm blood soaking him, he could feel the heat of her body slowly leaving. She was a corpse. Dead, like the rest of them. And she shouldn't have been there. He had gotten her there. He had involved her. He had killed her. She was dead. And it was his fault.

Kanda shot up from his pillow, as if it were made from needles. He frantically looked at his Black Order uniform, hanging clean from his wardrobe door in the corner. Not a speck of blood on it. Pressed, clean and hung on a hanger. He raked his hands through his loose hair, attempting to collect himself. It had been a dream. A nightmare. Just like before.

Desperately, Kanda clung to the words of his mentor from years ago. _If you don't believe in them, they won't believe in you._ Tiedoll was a wise man. He was a good General and a great mentor. No matter how Kanda acted around the overly affectionate man, he greatly valued his opinions. Yet, this time he felt like the words spoken all those years ago were just that, words. They couldn't help him now.

The Exorcist stood, leaving his bedcovers messy and walked towards his desk. There stood the lotus flower, still in its glass bell, as perfect as when he had fallen asleep. There was still hope for him. Kanda threw one of the clean, pressed shirts from the table over the glass, not wanting to look at it. For once, it wasn't his will for survival that he was wondering about.

The scent of daffodils touched his nose as he began dressing in his usual uniform. Before putting on his coat, Kanda walked to his nightstand, opening the first drawer. Inside lay the letter that he had received some time ago, smelling of daffodils as much as the day that he had found it in a dead Finder's communication box. The cheeky kiss imprint was still there, a little smeared from the journey through Switzerland and then on two more connecting missions. The paper itself was ruffled, crumpled, showing its strenuous voyage.

He hadn't dared to open it out in the open, lest one of the Finders notices. But, here, in his rooms, where no one but Lenalee and Lavi dared to enter, he could read it. Kanda's already eroded resolve broke and he picked up the envelope, opening the wax seal with a small knife from his nightstand. He pulled out the page, clearly ripped from somewhere and began reading.

Sasha was no calligrapher, that was for sure. Her writing was messy, full of doodles (where she had been thinking during her writing) and irregular. Though, she had been improving her grammar and it was obvious to him that she had been practicing as he read. When he was done, he couldn't resist smelling the paper once more, the scent of daffodils strongest in one spot.

Suddenly, he couldn't remember the image from his nightmare which had been haunting him. No, he could only see Sasha, smirking cheekily, as always, her painted lips standing out on her pale face. They were the only blood red on her, her emerald green clothes free of any drops or stains. Her eyes, filled with life as always, they were digging into Kanda's mental walls, as they always did, like she was reading him, getting to know him on a personal, almost intimate level. And, she was perfectly alive.

Kanda threw the letter into the drawer, slamming it shut and hoping to keep the intoxicating scent inside. He reached for his coat, but then changed his mind. Kanda pulled out a piece of paper with an Order insignia on it, quickly scribbling with one of the fountain pens that the Science Department had provided each resident with. He signed his name on the bottom, folding the paper and throwing the pen back into the drawer. Kanda grabbed his coat, Mugen and mission file, leaving the room.

Glancing at the folder containing the details for his next mission, the samurai sighed in relief. Greece, that was quite far away from France. Now, he needed Lenalee. She owed him a favor.

* * *

Lenalee was having a dilemma. Open or not? She sighed for the tenth time since that morning. Kanda had burst into her room, all ready and geared up for his next mission, waking her up. He had simply thrust a piece of folded paper into her hands, telling her to mail it to the written address as payback for him accompanying her on the last shopping trip.

Now, the Chinese girl was in a bind. She was really, _really_ curious. Kanda didn't write letters. Kanda didn't have friends outside of the Order. Heck, he didn't even have many friends _inside_ the Order. Then again, he could've been writing General Tiedoll, or Marie or Daisya? No, he would never write Daisya. If anything, he would send the mischievous Exorcist an Akuma in an envelope, if that were possible.

"Lena, you look troubled?" A familiar voice came from behind the Chinese Exorcist, causing her to go into panic. If Kanda had come to her with this letter (note more like), then he obviously did _not_ want anyone to find out about it. If Lavi found out… Well, he was Lavi, and there was nothing more that one needed to say.

"Me?" Lenalee turned around, making a split-second decision and plastering a perfect smile on her face. "Why do you say that?" She skillfully hid the note behind her back.

Lavi smiled, almost closing his only visible eye. "No reason in particular." He almost sang. He knew. Lenalee's smile suddenly became strained. He knew that she was hiding something. But, Bookman Junior was toying with her. She had seen him do it to various people. He was a good manipulator, great, even. But, she wouldn't betray Kanda. She knew how he and Lavi often squabbled like little children. She wasn't going to add fuel to the fire.

"Say, Lavi?" Lenalee smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Lenalee-chan!" Lavi fell into step with her, causing the girl to quickly move the note to her other hand, further away from the nosy Bookman-to-be.

"If I gave you a package to take to Komui-nii-san and didn't tell you what was in it, but you were really curious about what was in it, would you look?" Lavi thought for a second, putting his finger on his lower lip in thought.

"Why wouldn't you give it to the Supervisor yourself?" He asked, looking at her worriedly now.

"Say that I asked you." When another short silence ensued as they walked down the hall, Lenalee clarified. "It's just hypothetical, to help me with this 'troubled' look that I have." She laughed easily, distracting the other Exorcist.

"Alright then, I would probably look inside." Lavi laughed, shrugging. Lenalee lightly hit his shoulder, furrowing her eyebrows, but still smiling.

"Mou!" She exclaimed. Lavi shrugged once more. "Well, at least you were honest." She said, staring at her feet as she walked. Then, she should look?

"But-" Lavi spoke again, catching her attention. "If it were me asking you to take a package to someone, I'm certain that you wouldn't look. Does that help, Lena-chan?" He grinned easily, splitting away from the Chinese Exorcist who was going towards the cafeteria. "Well, I'm off for a mission with Santos! Wish me luck!"

And the redhead ran down the hall, causing Lenalee to cup her mouth and yell after him. "Have a safe trip!" She looked at the note in her hand, smiling. Lavi was a mischievous and manipulative person, but he was a dependable friend. Lenalee walked towards Jerry's window, her thoughts filled with envelopes and postage stamps.

* * *

"Sasha!" The young woman placed the glass that she had been filling down and walked over to the Madam. "There you are, my little lady."

"Can I do anything for you?" Sasha asked, a bright smile on her face. It had been a rather nice couple of days. The wealthy gentleman who only requested her had been by almost a week ago, leaving the young woman a sizeable tip. Together with the money that the Black Order had sent the Madam (it had been a right fiasco when Julienne had seen their mistress counting the money in an envelope with the Church insignia on it) Sasha had been rather free with her customers. She had had the liberty of choosing her duties, which was something that made her feel ecstatic and made the Madam a little more than miserable.

"Would you go and see to that gentleman in the corner?" The redhead in the blue dress asked her, sipping the wine from her glass. "Monsieur Mignard has brought his son to the establishment for the first time."

Sasha smiled, nodding. "I will go talk to him and make him feel welcome." She said, carefully choosing her words. She noticed how the Madam clicked her tongue in distaste, as soon as Sasha's back was to her. Yes, the large sum of money which had paid for the prostitute's month's rent was angering the Madam. Sasha only wished that she had gotten to the envelope first. She would've hidden the sizeable sum away, in secret. But, she couldn't argue with her newfound freedom, either.

Sasha walked into the drawing room, the smooth, royal green skirt slid around her legs, showing off the new stockings that one of her customers had gotten her. Sasha slid next to the gentlemen in the corner, noticing his young age only when she got that close. He couldn't have been more that fifteen. She smiled at him sweetly, letting her seductive mask fall apart. This boy didn't need any of that, like the older gentlemen. He looked nervous enough just sitting there.

"Hello, my name is Sasha." She spoke gently, keeping her smile genuine. She remembered when she had been fifteen. Such a small time had passed since then, yet she had changed like she never would've thought possible.

"J-Jean-Joël." The boy murmured, ducking his head. His eyes kept flitting over to Sasha, looking at her lips, then her chest, then her exposed legs. He was a virgin, she realized. And probably a sheltered boy, by his demeanor.

"May I call you Jean?" She asked sweetly, ignoring his wandering eyes. For once, she didn't mind it. She had been leered at by men three times his age, heck, by men three times _her_ age. A glance for a shy boy, such as himself, it didn't bother her in the least.

"P-please." He said, straightening in his seat suddenly. Sasha looked around discreetly, noticing Monsieur Mignard with Julienne in the corner. The man had the prostitute sitting in his lap, her skirt hiked for all the gentlemen to see her straddling him, as he drank his overly expensive wine and glared at his son. Julienne looked busy enough, kissing his neck slowly, her hands somewhere in between their bodies.

Sasha frowned slightly, but then smiled once again. Poor boy, she thought. "Jean, what do you like to do in your free time?" Sasha asked, being careful to slide over his name gently.

As one of the girls passed Jean stopped her with a practiced motion of his hand, taking two champagne glasses off of her tray. "I greatly enjoy cycling and riding. My father bought me a magnificent horse-" The boy handed one glass to Sasha and took a long gulp from his, almost emptying it. "It was the champion in the most recent competition." And the boy happily chattered on about his horse, his eyes leaving Sasha's body for the first time since she had sat next to him.

Laughter from the other side of the room caught her attention and the young woman sought it out with her eyes. She found a group of girls and gentlemen, but mostly women, sitting in a circle and listening intently. Annette was there, too. Smiling, Sasha turned to Jean, catching the last of his horse racing statuses listing.

"He sounds like a wonderful catch!" Sasha exclaimed, as if she had been listening the whole time. "Say, Jean, shall we go over there and join the group?" When the boy's eyes wandered from the group and then to his father, who was gone along with Julienne, Sasha caught his hand gently. He nervously looked at her. "If you don't like it, we can leave to my rooms later?"

And with another sweet smile, she had him hooked. "Of course." The boy said, getting up clumsily (undoubtedly the cause of his empty champagne glass). He put their glasses on one of the decorated, wooden tables and offered Sasha his elbow, as if she were a true Lady. The young woman took it, the two heading over to the loudest group in the salon.

Annette quickly moved over when she noticed them, allowing Jean to sit down comfortably and Sasha to lower herself into his lap, surprising him. The color went straight to his cheeks, making his head seem like a rather large tomato with a lot of blonde hair. But, the gentlemen in the center, the one who was speaking, quickly seized everyone's attention once more.

"So, the further you go, the darker it gets. And my friend says, as soon as they got to the lower levels, they began hearing it. Footsteps behind them. There were only three of them, yet there was a fourth person there, walking, splashing, breathing down their necks." The man turned to one of the girls, making a scary face and blowing on her exposed neck, causing her to shriek and the rest to laugh.

Annette turned to Sasha, whispering. "It's another scary story about the Catacombs." The pregnant woman rolled her eyes, but still smiled. It was no secret that Annette _loved_ scary stories, especially those with ghosts in them. She knew about every single version of the myth of the underground ossuaries.

"It was when they got all the way down, down to the part where there are no more arranged skeletons, but where there are only scattered bones. That's when it began to _chase_ them!" The gentleman jumped forward, causing another bout of girly shrieks. Sasha felt Jean's hand wrap around her waist and slowly pull her layered skirt up, baring her thigh. But, she didn't care. She was quite interested in the story, in fact.

"They split up then, searching for a way out, but there was none. Only two escaped, managing to track back to the surface." The gentleman was finishing his story. Jean's fingers began caressing the bare skin of Sasha's thigh, but she didn't even feel them. "My friend says that there is one thing that he will always remember. The sign that is right at the entrance, on the west side of the former Barrière d'Enfer pavilion." The gentleman looked right into the eyes of one of the girls, somberly.

" _Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead."_

**That's all folks!**

**Man, this chapter was a right piece of art for me xD I simply adore it :) I'm sorry for all the inner monologues and ponderings that you're getting, but we're slowly reaching the action part, I promise.**


	14. In which Kanda goes to Greece…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much Akira for your kind comment :)

**Chapter 14: In which Kanda goes to Greece…**

"Please tell me more." Sasha halted the ruffled-looking gentleman once more. His clothes were in disarray, clearly put on in a hurry and his hair was messy. He must've managed to get Sophie very excited, as she was a hair grabber.

"There's nothing more to tell, really, Miss." He replied, raking his free hand over his face, the other clutching his coat. "My friends were silly enough to go to the Catacombs after hours. It's illegal, as you must know, and the law forbids and punishes the ventures greatly."

Sasha mentally sighed, realizing that she would need to resort to some more underhanded means. "But, surely, the last man couldn't've gotten lost and vanished! Please, sir, I won't be able to sleep tonight if you don't tell me." She whined in a very familiar, Sophie-like way. The young woman's fingers gently touched the exposed skin of the gentleman's arm, immediately gaining his attention. She made sure not to cover her cleavage with her scarf, as she usually did, when she looked up at the tousled fellow through her eyelashes pouting. "Please."

And, he was done. "Shall we sit?" He asked, taking Sasha's hand gently and leading her to the bar. There, he flagged down the bartender, a young man in his twenties who sometimes served when he wasn't at his other job, for two drinks. "So, the story isn't quite like I tell it, I do embellish a little to impress the ladies." He smiled charmingly, and Sasha could see what Sophie had liked in the man.

"I promise not to tell." She smiled, her fingers touching his upper thigh now, completely innocently. She knew Sophie's style of seducing very well, the elder had taught it to her, after all. The more innocent, the better. "Shall it be our secret?"

The gentleman smiled and then placed his hand over hers, pushing it even further up his thigh. "Of course, Miss?" He was asking her name, but she wouldn't give it. Taking another one's client was not good for business, and Sasha knew it. Besides, she didn't want him, she just wanted his story. When she remained silent, ignoring his question, he continued the story. "So, you know how they've opened the first two levels of the Catacombs for the public, right?"

"After the cave-in last month?" Sasha asked, remembering the headline from the newspaper. A couple of visitors had gotten killed during their adventure in the old mines turned graveyard.

"Indeed." The gentleman spoke, sipping from his glass. "Well, my friend decided to show off a bit, both in front of his lady and his friends, and ended up going below the second level. All three of them survived the trip, of course, but the one who had gotten separated in the mines…" The man paused, drinking again.

"What happened?" Sasha asked, her flirting completely gone now. The air was thick in between the two unlikely conversationalists. They sat, in the late hours of morning at the bar of a brothel, in a mostly empty drawing room, sipping scotch (Sasha had yet to touch hers). The first rays of sunlight had hit the young man's face, making him seem old somehow, tortured.

"He'd gone mad by the time they found him." The gentleman spoke. There was another short silence in between them. "I-It makes no sense, you know?" He raked his hands through his hair once again. "I've known Pierre my whole life… And for him to just suddenly go mad like that… It's surreal."

Sasha placed her hand gently onto his shoulder, in comfort. "It gets easier." She told him with a sad smile. The gentleman looked at her, his eyes frightened.

"I just can't get the story out of my head. They found Pierre, sitting in a corner and murmuring _'it's gone, they're gone'_. His fingertips had been bloody, ripped raw from where he had dragged them across the walls. Even now, in the asylum, he does it." The man dragged his fingers across the bar top, creating a slow, squeaking sound. "Until they are bloody and raw."

The unlikely duo sat for a moment longer in silence, unmoving. The drawing room was empty, save for them, the other customers either being serviced or gone already. The band members were in the back, packing up, and the barkeep had vanished somewhere, probably for a smoke outside. Sasha rubbed the gentleman's shoulder, shaking him out of his stupor.

"Forgive me, I shouldn't burden such a lovely lady such as yourself with those dark stories." He quickly downed the rest of his scotch, placing a couple of coins on the bar top and quickly wrapped himself into his cloak. "Have a nice day, Miss." He told Sasha, heading for the door.

"It gets easier." The young woman called out after him, smiling sadly, knowingly. The gentleman turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at her. "The more you talk about it, the easier it will get. I promise." The man didn't comment on her knowing look. He didn't speak at all. He simply nodded, leaving the brothel, but he took the prostitute's advice to heart. Her words seemed to follow him somehow.

* * *

 

The door to his compartment opened, causing Kanda to peer out of one eye, assessing the newcomer. The Finder was a familiar one, and had probably been on missions with Kanda before. So, the Exorcist didn't bother asking or remembering his name. He was a plump fellow, fairly tall, with a mustache and some beard. Nothing about him stood out.

Kanda changed his grip on Mugen, allowing his hand to relax. He had been ready to strike down the threat as soon as the presence had neared the door. The Finder regarded him for a moment, his beady, dark eyes shining. Then, the older man gave him a rather pleasant smile.

"I've had a chat with the conductor, Kanda-san." The Finder addressed him in a familiar way. "We will be stopping in Greece, Athens in mere moments." The Exorcist stood, as if the Finder wasn't even there and pulled his briefcase off the luggage rack. "Shall we?" The Finder was waiting, holding the door of the compartment open for Kanda.

"Tch." Was the only response that he got.

Athens was sunny. Way too sunny. There were people left and right, children running, laughing. It was generally noisy, and the more time that Kanda spent there, the more frustrated he got. The Finder was a rather capable one, speaking Greek fluently and getting them transportation to the docks. As Kanda jumped in the back of the cart which was to take them, he opened the mission folder, reading through once more.

They were heading to Thira, a small island in the middle of nowhere, as far as Kanda could see. Apparently, since their liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1821, the small place had become a vacation spot for rich people, making trade a big part of the islanders' lives. However, in the recent months, more and more ships had been vanishing, turning up destroyed, far away from their routes. Some of them never even came back. The mayor of one of the towns had decided that it was time to contact the Black Order after a village was wiped out by Akuma.

Kanda snorted. Of course, he thought. They wouldn't invite them as soon as they saw trouble. No. First, they would try to solve it with their precious police officers. Another snort left his mouth. What a joke. They were as corrupt as they could be, the police force. The Earl's minions were everywhere, waiting to make more Akuma in exchange for money. How funny, in the end, they would become fodder for their precious master.

The Exorcist placed the folder back into his bag, the mission memorized. He looked about only to see the usual, open road and a couple of people passing. He sighed, allowing his head to loll forwards, Mugen gripped tight in his arms for safety, as always. He needed to catch up on his sleep. God knows that dreams of Sasha dying had been haunting him.

But, as he was reading her letter, he felt her essence. He knew that she was alive. It was simply his paranoid mind playing tricks on him. She was probably causing mischief somewhere, with some of her customers. Kanda frowned, his mind not allowing him to go to sleep. He felt rage take him, his blood boiling, as if he were going to battle.

He did _not_ like the idea of some faceless old man touching Sasha just because he had paid her. But, that was her job, he reminded himself. He hated her job. He hated the fact that she was owned. A woman like her, she shouldn't be trapped like that. Used like that. No woman should.

Despite all the cruelty that Kanda inflicted, he had been trained as a warrior, as a samurai. That brought him rather strong views about women from his master, the gentle Froi Tiedoll. A woman was to be respected, taken care of, treasured. Kanda knew, that from the ghosts of the feelings of his past self, he had felt that, in another life.

He couldn't connect to those feelings anymore. Not to that intensity. That dependence. He wasn't sure if he could treasure a woman in such a way as his past self had done it. Without the regard for his own existence. He wanted to find that person, the ghost, the woman. He needed to know. To confirm. Could he love, the way that humans did?

But, regardless of all the teachings of Froi Tiedoll and Kanda's own, quite shaken, moral compass, he wasn't above hurting a woman. If necessary, he would raise his sword against anyone who stood in his way. Call him selfish, immoral or just simply evil, but Kanda would accomplish his goal at the expense of everyone around him.

But, still, Sasha had no connection to his mission, to his goal, to _her_. Yet, she was haunting his mind, her image in the arms of a faceless man. Stupid, Kanda thought. She was a whore. Nothing but a common whore. He needed to get her out of his head. To cut her off.

"Kanda-san?" The Finder caught his attention. "We are here." Kanda looked up, noticing that they had, indeed, reached the busy bay. As the Exorcist jumped off the cart, he walked behind the Finder, noticing that a lot of people moved to clear their path. The Black Order was famous, that was no doubt. Even in this busy bay, full of yelling of fishermen and travellers, they knew that the Exorcist was trouble.

Soon enough, the two Order employees reached the desired dock. The Finder went forward, speaking with one of the sailors. Kanda stood to the side, not bothering to listen. He had been to Greece before. The language was something that escaped him and he wasn't going to try beyond the word 'όχι'. The samurai took in the scent of salty water, frowning at it.

As the Finder waved him over to the small ship, Kanda glared at the waves below. He  _really_ hated water.

* * *

 

Sasha splashed some water onto her face, looking at the mirror as the drops rolled down. The liquid in the basin was already icy, telling her that someone had poured it last night. Though, it only did her wonders to stay awake.

She hadn't slept since the night when the young gentleman had told the story of his friends to her. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she just couldn't. Whenever she lay in her bed, trying to go to sleep, she would end up staring at different things, her mind miles away in the Catacombs of Paris. It had been a full twenty four hours now, how she hadn't slept, and Sasha was hitting her limit.

During her time as a thief and a traveler, she had had some sleepless nights, but not like this. Back then, it was fear which drove her. Whenever she closed her eyes, she would hear the screams of her family dying. In the blackness of her dreams, there were their faces, terrified, as they suffered in their last moments. So, insomnia was not a stranger to her.

The young prostitute took a deep breath and began washing her make-up away gently. She couldn't handle it anymore. With all the stories which Annette had told her about the Catacombs, her mind was reeling, thinking of different scenarios. Unfortunately, each and every one of those included Akuma, Innocence, the Black Church and a certain samurai.

Sasha opened her small make-up bag, taking out different products and beginning to apply them. There was no time to send a letter. It would take it at least a week to reach the Church, and Lord knows how much more time to actually enter the designated Exorcist's hands. Knowing him, he would also take time to open it. She knew that he was that way.

Usually, she didn't mind it. She had found out that letters brought her a certain masochistic kind of a pleasure. The waiting was almost impossible, tearing at her from the inside. Each day, she would rush down the stairs to check if maybe, hopefully, the man had replied. Of course, the disappointment only brought her more strength, more hope. And then, when it finally arrived, the curt, short reply of the Exorcist, she would read it a dozen times, committing it to memory. She could still remember the smell of the paper which came from the Church. Of course, his replies to her letters with the Madam's messages were usually something along the line of: _I'm on it_ or _I'll do what I can_. Yet, the carefully written, almost calligraphic words always had her hypnotized.

But, this was urgent. She needed for someone to listen and to do so fast. Sasha finished her make-up, smacking her lips at the mirror and smiling. Yes, she looked passable. Not too much, like when she served, yet, not too little, so that she would get noticed. She had put on the perfect amount of make-up.

"Would you like some help?" Sasha looked to the right in the mirror, seeing that Julienne had joined her in the small bathroom. Julie was a nice girl, from a fairly small town. She was tall, slender, with a not much to offer except the lush, brown hair which always fell in ringlets around her shoulders and her great personality. Usually, she hung out with Annette and Sasha, as the two had been at the brothel longer. She wore a deep purple color, which made her dark eyes seem ethereal.

"Yes, please." The copper haired woman turned her back to her fellow working girl and let her take the ties of her corset into her hands.

"Tell me if it's too tight?" Julienne said, pulling at the sating strings. Sasha found herself grabbing the sink, so that she wouldn't be pulled back by the force. She gasped a bit when Julienne bound her upper strings a little tight, squishing her chest. "Oh, sorry." The brunette immediately relaxed the string in her hold.

"It's fine." Sasha smiled, a little breathless. Putting on her green, day corset was always a pain, as her chest had grown since she had bought it. "I see that you've been paying attention to what Annette was saying." The copperhead joked when Julienne pulled the string once more, leaving it hard to breathe.

"Yes." The brunette giggled. "The more you scream the better job I'm doing, was it?" The two women laughed as Julie tied three perfect ribbons at the ends of the strings. "Can you still breathe?"

"As much as I'll need to." Sasha replied, twisting the corset around experimentally when Julie was done. She spun around, facing the brunette with a smile. "Perfect. You could get married now." They laughed once more at the obvious irony. No man would marry a woman who could only tie a corset into perfection. Never mind that, no man would marry a whore.

"You look better." Julienne said gently, her long fingers going to Sasha's cheek and caressing it. "I was worried about you last night. You looked like you'd seen a ghost." The copperhead let out a small sigh, shrugging.

"I'm fine." The young prostitute murmured. When Julienne gave her an incredulous look, she frowned, her eyebrows almost meeting in the middle of her forehead. "I'm more worried about you, though." Sasha commented.

"Me?" Julienne let go of her friend and walked to the sink, laughing. She dipped a towel into the basin of icy water and hiked her skirt up, exposing her bare legs. "I'm perfectly safe here, doing what I do best." The brunette attempted to hide the small trail of blood which had crusted on her inner leg, but Sasha's trained eyes saw it.

"Mignard has always been trouble." Sasha grabbed the skirt, hiking it even further and allowing Julienne more access to the blood. "He gets too rough and then pays extra, as if that takes away the wounds."

Julienne laughed bitterly, lowering her leg from its position on the chair and turning to Sasha once more. "It's too bad that he's fixated on me then." She tossed the bloody towel into the dirty laundry off-handedly. There was a moment of silence as Julie watched Sasha, whose sleep deprived brain was racking with ideas of how to help the brunette. "I envy you, Sasha." Julie spoke, almost whispering.

"Why in the world-"

"You don't only have skills in bed." Julienne interrupted, still sounding melancholic. "You are pretty, you can catch a man's eye easily." She gestured to Sasha's pushed up breasts. "You speak in different languages and are schooled in writing. This gives you so much more value than me. I'm simply a body to warm the bed at night. I can be replaced easily."

"That's not true." The copper head had waited until Julienne was done to speak. "I still have to meet an unimportant person, Julie." Sasha reached her hands around the young prostitute, hugging her close. "You are irreplaceable to me."

Julienne's arms circled Sasha's waist, holding her close. The brunette hiccupped, but no tears came. She had cried herself to sleep many times. Her eyes didn't know how to produce the water anymore. Slowly, the two broke apart, Sasha smiling at the brunette girl. Now, she could see Julie for what she was, just a young, lost girl, thrust into the cruel world where women had no power to their name.

"Thank you." Julienne nodded, her arms still around the smaller girl. "I needed that."

"Anytime." The copperhead patted her fellow working girl's arm in comfort. "I've had to deliver that speech to myself numerous times, so I have quite a few versions of it." She smirked. "They get better as you go."

Julienne laughed at the joke, her sadness slowly disappearing. "You were getting ready for something?" She asked.

"Mhm." Sasha confirmed, turning to the basin to take her make-up bag. "I have a date with an unsuspecting police officer." Julienne laughed once more, this time even more genuine.

"Well, you know how they say." Julie's dark eyes connected with Sasha's blue ones. "The best of us can seduce a man with only one look."

"The best of us." Sasha agreed, smirking. She placed a chaste kiss on Julienne's lips before leaving, a kiss of greeting, encouragement, rejoicing in the girl's laughter which followed.

* * *

 

"What did they say?" Kanda growled out at the Finder, his mood not too bad, but not too good either. He had slept all throughout the voyage by boat in a restless state, the constant movement of waves under his body keeping him on high alert. There had been a single incident with a Level One Akuma, which he had destroyed in mere seconds. But, apparently, their ship Captain had heard of the numerous stories of shipwreck and chosen a longer, safer route for them. They had arrived to Thira without a drop of water on them, safe and sound.

"The site is a little bit further ahead." The Finder replied, a smile constant on his old face. "We will be there in minutes if we follow the shoreline."

Kanda moved before even letting the Finder know that he had heard. The samurai walked along the rocky shore, following the goat road with enviable grace. He was a swordsman, after all. He had learned to fight in different situations, various terrain and extreme weather. He could handle a small goat road in Greece.

Soon enough, Kanda found it. The small patch of blue sea came into view after he turned a corner around some rocks. He looked down, carefully, over the cliff edge, seeing the wreck below. Ships, boats, even tiny fishing wooden ones, were piled up on the small sandy beach, completely destroyed. Kanda looked over the wreckage, but he couldn't see anything of importance from all the way up, where he was.

"Is there no way down?" He turned to the Finder, causing the man to smile yet again at him. It was better than the useless jabber of the Stupid Rabbit or the countless questions that usually came from Ben, but it was still annoying.

"There should be a steep path over there." The man pointed. "If it hasn't been ruined by the storms."

"Storms?" Kanda asked, walking ahead. "It's summer." Sure enough, there was a small rocky path leading to the alcove where the beach was. He had studied the file on the way. Greek weather didn't account many storms during summer. At least not violent, path breaking ones.

"There have been a few thunderstorms during the last month." The Finder panted, following Kanda down the cliff slowly. "The fishermen were quite distraught by them. They said that it changed the path of their fish. They've been unable to catch anything recently."

"I don't care." Kanda remarked in a cold tone, jumping off the last couple of stones. He landed on the warm sand and walked over to the nearest wreckage. It was a small, wooden boat with a siren figurehead. She was extending forwards, holding a lantern with one hand, her eyes wide in panic. Why in the world would someone put such an image on their boat was beyond Kanda. Wouldn't they want something more cheerful and less 'the doom has arrived'?

The samurai bent closer, ignoring the Finder behind him who was still panting and shaking from the steep climb. The man was chattering about fish and tides and some other thing that didn't concert Kanda at the moment. The Exorcist had noticed the tiniest cracks on the wood of the siren's frightened face. For some reasons, his instincts had pulled him right towards them. And, Kanda had learned not to doubt his instincts quite some time ago. He lived by them. He had always lived by them.

Kanda traced his fingers over the tiny cracks, feeling the fibers which stood out of the formation of the siren's face. He pulled his hand back, frowning. Strange. Boats were usually made rather decently in Greece, especially on the islands. As far as a vessel having a figurehead, that normally meant that better quality of wood was used, since they were more expensive and extravagant. But, for it to crack like this… Kanda frowned. There was only one explanation: phenomenon.

"Where are the waters where the ships vanish or get wrecked?" The samurai asked, interrupting the Finder's rant. The middle aged man searched the horizon quickly with his eyes and then pointed to the Northwest.

"That way, but you can't see it from here, Kanda-san." The Finder stepped forward, now right next to the Exorcist. "I could ask some of the Captains if they would take us out there, but I'm doubtful that they will."

Kanda turned around, heading for the steep path in the cliff. "We're going there now." And it was final.

**That's all folks!**


End file.
